Project GT
by Shadow55419
Summary: Ryosuke starts a school and recruits his brother and Takumi to teach for him. please R
1. Chapter 1

Author's one and only Disclaimer: I don't own Initial D My characters will be listed either with the last chapter or after it.

I've had an awful lot of help from an awful lot of people getting this one done and i'd like to thank one in particular.

Meteor helped me out a ton with this fic, kept me on track and in a few cases kept me going to the end of it.

* * *

Project GT

Chapter 1

It was just after sunset on an early March evening, when a heavily modified competition yellow mica 1993 Mazda RX-7 pulled into the parking lot at the top of Mt. Akagi and parked next to the only other car in the area, a Sydney Blue Pearl 2000 Subaru Outback Sport, as the driver of the vehicle watched on. He was a younger fellow with semi long brown hair wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. As the driver of the FD stepped out of his car, his bleach blonde spikes showed brightly under the street light nearby.

"Hey Keisuke, long time no see," the brown haired man greeted while walking around the back of the FD.

"Takumi, how's it going?" Keisuke asked as he stepped up to the man with a half friendly grin.

"Not too bad, heard you won a few championships in the GT500 series," Takumi said with an extended hand which the bleach blonde shook.

"Heard you won a few yourself in GT300. Do you know why Aniki called us out here to Akagi?" Keisuke asked looking around the lot of his old street racing team the Red Suns.

"Not a clue, I just got the call and booked over here, I just happened to be in Natsuki's Subaru when he called," the younger man replied with a curious tone that matched his old racing partners.

"You know, we race at the same time, but with everything our teams have us doing we have to 'hear' what each other is doing, it's ridiculous," the spiky blonde said with a chuckle.

"You're not wrong, it is just a little stupid," Takumi responded with a chuckle of his own.

The two men sat passing the time by talking about the two GT500 championships Keisuke had won and the three GT300 championships that Takumi had won in the six years since Project D. They also caught up on the status of their marriages to Kyoko Iwase and Natsuki Mogi.

They had been talking for an hour or so when a crystal white 1990 RX-7 with a carbon fiber hood, fixed headlights and a spoiler off the back pulled into the parking area and parked a few spots away from Takumi's Subaru.

"Speak of the devil, Aniki finally showed up," Keisuke said with a slight chuckle.

"Keisuke, Fujiwara, it certainly has been a while," The owner of the FC, a tall brown haired man in a tailored white suit, said as he walked towards the other two drivers.

"So Ryosuke-san, what did you call us up here for?" Takumi asked leaning against a guardrail.

"A proposition, you two come and teach for me at my school and we start a professional team made up of street racers," Ryosuke replied in his usual calm tone.

Keisuke and Takumi both were shocked at the way he made it sound more like an order than politely asking.

"You two were my double aces in Project D, so I want you to be my double ace teachers now that both of you have experience in the professional world," Ryosuke again stated making it sound more like an order than the first.

"I'll have to find out if the GT team wants me to re-sign again, I can't pass it up if they ask me to, they already have a replacement for me if I don't," Takumi said turning away from both men.

"Aniki, I'm in the same place, they ask I'm signing, I'm still having too much fun with it," Keisuke said with a slight chuckle.

"Both of your contracts are up in one month's time they would have asked already if they were going to have you re-sign. I think it's time for Project D's double aces to be more than just drivers and start teaching the next generation of racers," Ryosuke said regaining both men's attention as he leaned against his brother's FD, "Not to mention the fact you've both been moved to the test driver's position for the remainder of your contract time."

Keisuke and Takumi both seemed to think it over for a long while before either of them even moved, much less spoke.

"I'll talk it over with Natsuki, at least it would mean a more permanent home rather than running all over the place. Give me a month and I'll let you know," Takumi said as he walked back over to the Outback and took off before getting any form of response.

"Hate to say this Aniki, but I'm with him, Kyoko and I are going to need time to talk this over," Keisuke said as he placed a hand on his older brother's shoulder before climbing into the yellow FD and leaving the brown haired man standing in the summit lot of Akagi's mountain pass.

"At least they can think on their own now," Ryosuke said with a small chuckle as he too climbed into his FC and drove away from Mt. Akagi.

A few days later Takumi was driving around his old home town before pulling into the Esso gas station where he used to work. He let out a chuckle as his friends walked around his Grand Prix white 2002 Honda S2000, the official replacement vehicle for the 86 on the mountain pass after its unfortunate end during his race against Shinji Inui six years before. Looking at the car it was pretty much a factory machine with a carbon fiber hood and spoiler.

"Itsuki, would you fill it up and quit staring?" the brown haired man laughed as his shorter friend nearly drooled on the white and black car.

"So has this one seen Akina for the morning deliveries?" A tall black haired man asked as he came out of the station's garage.

"Yeah a couple of times, it's nice to see you too Iketani-sempai," Takumi responded with a slight bow, "Have you two been practicing in the six years since Project D? Normally when the three of us hang out we just talk about life in general."

"We get to Akina every chance we get, Itsuki is getting better every time we go down lately but there's no racers there anymore so we've got it all to ourselves," another black haired man said as he stepped out of a white 180SX, leaving Itsuki with a huge grin on his face.

"Oh, and is it the 85 or did he finally get his 86?" Takumi asked with genuine curiosity.

Itsuki and Iketani exchanged a couple glances with Kenji that a guy two prefectures over could see through.

"Guys come on, what's Itsuki driving?" Takumi said with a little more urgency in his tone than before.

"Well, he's been driving my old S13, I sold it to him when I upgraded to that grey S15 with a single turbo over there, happened a month or two after you went pro," Iketani replied with a grin two kilometers wide pointing towards the car in front of the garage space.

Takumi just stood stunned for a moment before the gas pump shutting off brought him out of his reverie. He jumped in the S2000 and moved it away from the pump so he wouldn't hold up traffic at the pumps.

"Alright, this explains why he was always getting out of the S13's driver's seat when we meet up at the Family's, but why didn't you tell me?" Takumi asked with a half false anger in his tone.

Iketani and Kenji nearly fell over laughing, which seemed to lighten the mood quite a bit around the station.

"Dude, you're a professional race driver, but you're still just as clueless as always Takumi old friend," Itsuki said as he patted the slightly taller man on the shoulder with a faked sympathetic look on his face.

Takumi spent a few hours catching up on everything his friends were up to and who was dating who before heading back to his father's tofu shop to see how the Subaru was doing after picking Natsuki up from the mall. As he pulled around the corner he spotted his old man sitting on the hood of the blue Subaru smoking a cigarette.

"You really should quit smoking Dad, might kill you before your driving does," Takumi said as he helped Natsuki out of the Honda.

"Well I'll think about it if you two have me a grandchild soon," Bunta said with a slight chuckle while hugging Natsuki before walking into the shop.

After having a good sized dinner cooked by Bunta and Natsuki, they sat watching a little TV while talking about Takumi making a few of the deliveries during the week. After talking for a while Takumi saw a face on the TV that looked familiar, his ex-girlfriend Mika Uehara. Natsuki noticed her husband staring at the television but didn't say anything until they were on their way home.

"So Takumi, what really happened between you and Mika?" Natsuki asked as they drove away from the tofu shop.

"Well I told you we broke up, what else is there to tell?" Takumi asked trying to dodge the long explanation.

"Okay, but by the way you were staring at that TV, she left a mark when she left," the brown haired woman said as she placed a hand on her husband's.

"It was about six years ago, right after Project D ended and my Super GT career started," Takumi said before taking a deep breath to tell the story of his break up with Mika Uehara.

_Takumi waited for Mika at the driving range after one of her practice sessions just after Project D's last race in Hakone. He was leaning against his father's GC8 as a black haired man approached him with a kind smile._

"_You must be Takumi-kun, my daughter speaks very highly of you," the man said with an outstretched hand._

"_That means you're Mika's father, she speaks rather highly of you as well Sir," Takumi replied with a bow before shaking his hand._

"_I wanted to talk to you before you two left here today, just to try and get something straight," Mr. Uehara said motioning the younger man to follow him to one of the benches close by._

_"Takumi-kun, I know that you care for my daughter and that you want a professional racing career. Mika wants a professional golfing career, but I just want you to know that with you two being apart so much because of these I don't want to see my daughter hurt," Mr. Uehara said as the younger man sat at the other end of the bench, "As much as I know she's happy around you, and being with you, I think it would be best for her, and you as well, to go ahead and end this relationship, whatever it might be before it gets to a point of heart break later on."_

"_I think I understand, but I don't like the idea," Takumi responded after recovering from the initial shock before simply getting up and walking towards Nika who was coming out of the building._

_The two drove to a small restaurant and were having dinner. Takumi was a little more spaced out than usual and didn't even notice that Mika was asking him about his races._

"_Takumi, where are you tonight?" Mika asked when she finally got his attention._

"_Just thinking of something your father said while we were waiting on you," the brown haired man replied honestly, "He thinks that maybe we should end this before it goes any further, with us both wanting to go professional in our fields we'll almost never see each other, he says better to end it before heart break becomes a distraction."_

_Mika seemed to notice that Takumi still seemed distracted._

"_Takumi, what my father said isn't the only thing on your mind is it?" she asked taking one of his hands in hers._

_Takumi told her all about his race against Kyoichi Sudo in Mt. Akagi nearly a year before when he blew the engine in the 86 over Natsuki. They both spent the rest of dinner in near silence only speaking when the waitress asked if they needed anything._

_"Takumi, I think Dad may be right, and you telling me what happened at Akagi last year with your car, it just settled it I don't want to see you hurt on TV because of me, so let's end this before it gets distracting for both of us." Mika said as they approached her home._

_Takumi simply nodded and brought the GC8 to a halt and said a quick good bye before leaving the girl standing at the door with a small tear in both their eyes._

"Okay, so it was a mutual, but unwanted break up?" Natsuki asked, receiving only a small nod in response as they continued to drive.

Over in Maebashi, Keisuke and Kyoko were sitting at a very popular family type restaurant discussing Ryosuke's offer. Kyoko was both shocked and proud that Keisuke, the hard headed uphill driver of Project D, was considering being a teacher of driving technique.

"I think it's wonderful darling, if it's something you want to do I'll support you all the way," The dirty blonde haired woman said as a certain spiky haired driver ate one of his shrimp.

"What I'm really worried about is actually being able to teach this stuff, you know how I am with trying to explain all this different stuff, I know it in my head but it never comes out making any sense at all," Keisuke said placing one hand on the table and the other over the back of the booth.

Kyoko simply sat across from her husband of four years now and placed both of her hands on his.

"Darling, I'm sure you'll do just fine once you get used to it, hey why don't you try teaching your old teammate from Project D to start off? Or just a newbie to see if you can explain it, if that doesn't work you can always be a demonstration oriented teacher," the dirty blonde haired woman said excitedly.

"Could work, Takumi has an S2000 now, could teach him how to go uphill in it," Keisuke laughed as he took his wife's hands in his, "Babe, you're the greatest."

The month seemed to move slowly as Takumi agreed to be Keisuke's "student" on the uphill of Mt. Akagi. Natsuki had always enjoyed riding with Takumi while drifting around the mountains so she took to sitting in his passenger seat whenever possible, and each night Takumi got faster and faster with Keisuke's teachings and Natsuki's encouragement.

Takumi was teaching Iketani and Itsuki to drive their new cars to the fullest on the downhill as his practice for becoming a teacher. Once he learned how to explain what he wanted to see, Iketani, Kenji and Itsuki all grew to a whole new level of fast using his teachings on both the downhill and the up.

"You two will do just fine as teachers since Keisuke is teaching you how to run the uphill," Itsuki laughed as the four men met up at the foot of Mt. Akina after a practice night.

"Come on Itsuki, Takumi's a three time GT300 championship winner, I bet he could teach us something new to do at every inch of the road for a month and still not be out of tricks," Kenji laughed.

"Come on guys, I just used what I learned in Project D to drive the GT300 car and teach you guys," Takumi said while scratching the back of his head.

"You'll have to be a little more confident if you want the students at Ryosuke Takahashi's school to listen to you Takumi," Kenji said before patting the younger brown haired man on the shoulder.

The group split up and went their separate ways for the night. Itsuki, Kenji and Iketani went back to the gas station while Takumi met up with Keisuke at the bottom of Mt. Akagi for his uphill lessons and to discuss Ryosuke's offer.

After training for a few hours together Keisuke and Takumi parked at the foot of the mountain pass to talk about things.

"So I guess we're teaching for Ryosuke now. I think I'm going to enjoy being able to run a home course again, can't believe how much I missed doing this," Keisuke said with a chuckle as he patted the hood of his trusted FD.

"Yeah, I couldn't believe how much I would miss making the delivery runs on Akina either. Just having that peace in the mornings this past month has helped me make the decision," Takumi said with a chuckle as well.

"Seeing you two talking like this is definitely a good sign that you've gotten used to being teammates again, but now you seem to be friendlier toward each other," A voice said from behind the two, "Does this mean I have two teachers for my school?"

"Yeah, I think it does Aniki," The spiky blonde haired man replied looking over his shoulder at his brother Ryosuke.

"Good, you have two months to find your first class. Use your training as professional drivers to find the best and ask them to come in and be trained by you," Ryosuke said before turning on his heels and leaving the two drivers of Project D standing in the parking lot.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As the sounds of screaming tires and engines filled the air of Mt. Myogi on a Saturday night, two men stood by their cars hidden away in a long right handed corner as sports cars of all different makes flew by them.

"So what do you think? That blue 350Z seems pretty fast and everyone else here seems to be chasing it," a tall brown haired man said as he leaned on the hood of a white Honda S2000.

"Alright then Takumi, let's show these folks how it's done, I'm calling first offer though," the tall spiky haired blonde said as he jumped into his yellow mica FD and drove out.

"Hey, Keisuke wait a second," Takumi shouted as he too jumped in his S2000 and drove out behind the FD.

As the two cars chased each other down the mountain they passed several other cars causing many of them to stop in awe as they were overtaken with ease. Takumi and Keisuke both were having fun just being able to run down the mountain with no real opponents except each other while parallel drifting through some corners and just plain flying through the others.

The Nissan 350Z sped up as the two cars caught up to it and managed to block both vehicles through two corners before being passed on the right side by the yellow FD and on the left side by the white S2000. The driver watched in awe as the two new appearances began parallel drifting through the corners in front of them.

At the bottom of the mountain pass, Keisuke and Takumi pulled into a small parking area with the Z33 following close behind, its V6 engine growling a steady low tone as the two men climbed from their cars.

"What's the big idea huh?" a 5' 6" tall younger woman with long brown hair worn in a pony tail exclaimed as she slammed the door of her blue pearl 350Z, "People just don't show up on this mountain and put on a show like that and embarrass me."

"No embarrassment was intended, but we did want to speak with you about coming to our school for driving techniques," Keisuke said with a calm tone, "What's your name?"

"Nika," the brown haired girl replied sounding a bit shocked, "Nika Mahara."

"Well Ms. Mahara, have you heard about Project D before?" the taller spiky blonde asked leaning back on his FD.

"Yeah, they're still a legend here in Gunma, what's this got to do with them though?" Nika asked getting a little more curious than angry.

"Project D's drivers went professional, one in GT500 and the other in GT300, these two drivers have retired and the old leader of Project D has started a school for professional level racing techniques," Keisuke paused for a moment to inhale and let this information sink in, "We're recruiters and two of the instructors for the school."

After talking a little more Nika agreed to at least visit the school before declining entirely; and she drove off into the sunrise.

"The next mountain is mine Keisuke, I want to see if I can do this," Takumi said as they watched the blue Z33 drive away.

"Alright, you pick the mountain then, but we're done for tonight I think," Keisuke replied with a yawn, "It's been a long time since I've stayed up all night like this."

The two men drove back to the school and decided to take the car Keisuke's Aniki had picked as a trainer car for a spin. As they pulled into the garage where the car was to be stored they spotted an aurora white 1967 Mazda Cosmo sitting in the trainer bay next to an amethyst 1987 Toyota MR-2.

"If these are what Aniki picked I'm definitely going to need some practice time," Keisuke said as he stepped closer to the cars.

"Should be entertaining to watch though if you think about it, the students probably won't even know what the Cosmo is, the MR-2 should be easy since it looks like neither car has been modified," Takumi laughed.

"You've gotten better at knowing what a car is in six years," the spiky bleach blonde said with a chuckle.

"When Natsuki and I started looking into a car for her to drive I got better at picking them out I guess," the brown haired man said scratching his cheek.

After a few laps each on the school's private course in the little Cosmo the two men went their separate ways for the day leaving the testing of the AW11 for another time. The next day they met at the school and gave Nika a small tour since much of the building was still being built or painted.

"Alright, you've got my attention, well more like that track outside has my attention," the brown haired girl said with a chuckle.

"Alright then, you can leave your contact information with one of the ladies at the desk over there and we'll get in touch when the school is ready to open," Takumi said with a smile.

"I have two questions before I leave here, number one is how much is this going to cost as a student? And number two who are you guys? To drive the way you did on Myogi the other night you have to be pretty familiar with it," Nika asked sounding calmer than she had the night she met the two men in front of her.

"I'm Takumi Fujiwara, GT300 driver and downhill ace for the old Project D," the brown haired man answered first.

"And I'm Keisuke Takahashi, GT500 driver and uphill ace for Project D, we're also going to be your instructors along with a couple others," the spiky blonde replied with a slight chuckle as Nika's jaw nearly hit the floor, "Oh and it won't cost you anything, your tires and gas that you burn here will be covered by the school."

The brown haired young woman collected herself and left her information before driving out of the school's parking area.

"Are we going to Akina tonight Takumi?" Keisuke asked as they walked through the halls of the building.

"I think I'd rather hit Mt. Akagi tonight, Iketani and Itsuki talked about a couple of new rotary drivers on that mountain." Takumi said with a slight grin, "Couple of SE3Ps from what they've been hearing."

Later that night Takumi and Keisuke drove out to Mt. Akagi and made a few runs before the crowds started filling the mountain road. Once the hour got later and the crowds began to show up for the night, just as they had done in Myogi, they found a quiet corner and parked the white S2000 and the yellow RX-7.

"Should be interesting to see a rotary team again, these two drivers must have some cash under their belts," Keisuke said lighting a cigarette as he leaned on his own rotary powered machine.

Takumi simply nodded as the sounds of two rotary engines began to fill the mountain air along with several other motors and tires screaming against the pavement. The two men watched a few other cars go flying by before hearing the two rotary engines getting closer and closer.

"Alright let's get an eye full," Takumi said as he spotted the headlights through the trees a few short corners away.

The 2003 Mazda RX-8s, one Aztec Gold and the other a more silver shaded Harvest Gold flew passed the pair of men at a high enough rate of speed to blow Takumi's hair around a little bit. Shortly after they had gone by the two men began their trek down the pass easily catching the two SE3Ps, Takumi went by on the right while Keisuke went down the left just to get the drivers' attentions before putting on a show for the two rotary powered cars.

"You guys are pretty good, what are you calling your team?" Keisuke asked as he watched a 5'9" tall young man with short black hair step out of the Aztec Gold RX-8.

"We're the rotary twins, but I'm the only guy here," The black haired young man laughed as he walked over to Keisuke and Takumi before looking over his shoulder at the other Mazda.

A woman that appeared to be the same age as the man stepped out of the car; her curled black hair fell to her shoulder blades and swayed softly behind her as she walked over to the Project D drivers with a look that would freeze time.

"Excuse me, but is there some reason you two just showed us up on our mountain?" the girl asked with more anger than curiosity in her tone.

"First why don't we introduce ourselves? I'm Takumi Fujiwara and this is Keisuke Takahashi," the black haired man said pointing a thumb over his shoulder at Keisuke who simply nodded.

"Well I'm Tatsuo Sasaki, and this is my twin sister Reiko. Now why don't you answer her question?" the black haired young man replied with an agitated tone at his sister being ignored.

"We're here to invite you to a school for professional driving techniques," Takumi replied handing Tatsuo a piece of paper, "You and your sister both are welcome to come by and check the place out, driving instructions are on the back."

Takumi and Keisuke drove away and left the brother and sister staring at the paper he had handed them.

"Well I'm willing to check it out if you are Tatsuo," Reiko said several hours and a few runs up and down the mountain pass later.

"We can go in the morning," Tatsuo said as he prepared to leave, "Now let's get home, it's getting early."

The next day at the school, after the twins had paid their visit and gotten a tour, Takumi continued to run lap after lap in the 1967 Cosmo that was picked as one of the trainer cars, getting the details of the track burned into his mind; the long fast right hand corner that led to a fast s-turn before a long straight then into a fast left hander that the current layout of the walls provided.

'_Alright, I'm getting the hang of this course, time to change the walls,' _the brown haired driver thought as he noticed his lap times getting lower each time he went around.

"That thing must feel a little like home to you huh Takumi," Keisuke said as Takumi pulled the small white rotary powered car into the garage.

"It's not much different from my old 86 in power numbers since it's a non turbo 13B-DEI, but the feel is completely different, I'm getting used to it though," Takumi said with a chuckle as he climbed from the car, "The AW11 is way different from either one because of the turbocharger and the mid engine layout."

"Well I'll get in a few laps before we have the guys change the course layout," Keisuke said walking around the car checking the tires out, "I may have a new set of tires put on it just to be safe though."

"Well, while the mechanic is putting the tires on, you two can come with me, I've got someone that wants to meet you," a voice called from just outside the garage.

"Be right there Fumihiro," Takumi said with a chuckle as the older black haired man began walking towards the main building of the school.

"When did he start coming around?" Keisuke asked as they walked out of the garage.

"Seems Ryosuke couldn't be around all the time since he's working at your father's clinic, so he asked Fumihiro to take over the major management of the place I guess," the younger brown haired man replied.

"Okay one more question. If I'm always around you while we're here, how is it you found all that out without me knowing?" the spiky blonde haired man asked with a chuckle.

"Ran into him on the way out the other night after the Mahara girl dropped by, you had already left I think."

Keisuke simply nodded before reaching over and tapping the younger man on the arm a couple times and pointed wordlessly at a Baja Red 1995 Mitsubishi Lan-Evo III sitting in the parking lot next to Takumi's Honda as they continued to walk into the school building.

"Fumihiro, this place isn't supposed to be open to the public, whose Lan-Evo is that in the lot?" Takumi asked looking around the building, not noticing the 5'10" heavy set young man with chin length bleach blonde hair standing next to Fumihiro.

"That's my car," the young blonde haired man replied in an arrogant tone, "I saw the signs posted around, heard on the street you were recruiting, I've already left my information with the ladies at the desk and I'll be joining your first class."

Keisuke and Takumi both looked to Fumihiro to see if what the young man had said was true. All the older black haired man could do was shrug his shoulders and step towards the two younger men he once called teammates.

"Look, I know Ryosuke said to leave the recruiting to you guys, keep the first class to four drivers, a tester if you found one, but I couldn't talk him out of it and he refused to show what he could do on the track since Takumi was out there," Fumihiro said as quietly as he could, "I'm not going to push, but I think this kid might have connections with the old Emperors team."

Keisuke and Takumi both leaned out a little to look at the younger man, who was now staring off into space as if nothing important was happening around him.

"Bet my FD he's connected to Seiji Iwaki, he's got the same attitude," Keisuke said with a quiet chuckle.

"I'll call around, see if anyone knows who he is. His name is Mikio Taniguchi, his home course is the Iroha slopes," Fumihiro said keeping his voice low, "I've already showed him around he wanted to meet you two before he left."

Keisuke and Takumi nodded and all attention went back to the younger man standing in the large open lobby with them.

"Well, classes won't start for another month or so, we'll come out to Irohazaka some time and watch you drive," Keisuke said with a hand out.

"No need for that, I'm good enough for this school," the young man said as he walked out of the building leaving Keisuke's hand unshaken.

The rest of the day was pretty calm for the two instructors as they continued driving each of the tracks possible layouts while getting to know the 1967 Mazda Cosmo and the MR-2. As the sun began to set Takumi and Keisuke drove to their separate homes, Takumi taking the AW11 with him.

"Takumi, what kind of car is that?" a woman with shoulder length brown hair asked as Takumi climbed from the car's driver's seat.

"Natsuki, this is one of the trainer cars from the school, it's a Toyota MR-2 and I brought it to use on Akina in the morning," the brown haired man replied before hugging his wife, "I figured that I would be able to handle it better if I drive it there a couple times. I'll have to leave the deliveries to Dad for a day or two while I have it though."

The two spoke of the young driver that showed up at the school and how accustomed Takumi had become to having everyone listen to him when it came to racing. Meanwhile Keisuke and Kyoko were also discussing the driver that stopped in at the school over their dinner.

"Keisuke, why don't I call Nobuhiko, maybe he and Wataru can figure out who this kid is?" the petite blonde woman asked.

"Kyoko, you haven't talked to either one of them in a couple of years now, how do you know he still has the same contacts or even the same number for that matter?" Keisuke asked laying a hand on the table, "Plus Fumihiro said he would start with calling Kyoichi Sudo and some of the other old Emperors team."

"Actually Wataru gave you a call just this afternoon, wanted to know if he could drop by the school and see the course," Kyoko said with a chuckle, "He gave me his and Nobuhiko's numbers."

"Alright, I'll call Takumi and tell him we need the AW11 back at the school tomorrow since he wasn't planning on coming in, you call those two and tell him we'll be there any time during daylight hours and invite Wataru for dinner, it's been a while," The spiky blonde said getting up from his seat at their table and grabbing his cell phone off the table by the door.

The next morning around four o'clock, Takumi was just finishing up his last practice run of the night since running up and down Akina's road had become something he simply did to relax more than helping out his Dad like in the old days. As he turned the Amethyst AW11 to return home he saw a 2000 Mazda RX-7 painted toreador red drive into one of the pull off areas before coming out the other end and getting ready to make a run down the mountain. Takumi watched the car launch on to Akina's downhill before getting his phone out and calling Keisuke.

"Tell me you saw something good to call me at four in the morning," the spiky haired blonde said grouchily as the sounds of sheets rustling could be heard through the phone.

"Not sure if he's good, but he came up here just as I was getting done practicing with the AW11, figured it would be good to have you here if we were going to get his attention," replied the black haired man.

The red FD pulled into the pull off area and turned around before once again launching onto the course shortly after Keisuke arrived at the upper parking area in his own yellow mica FD.

"This is his third run, from what I can hear from here he's practicing both downhill and up," Takumi said climbing into the AW11, "This time we chase him."

The AW11 launched onto the course before Keisuke react. But the power difference and the fast corners at the top of the pass allowed him and his FD to catch up to his old teammate pretty easily. As they came to the first hairpins of the Akina downhill they managed to spot the red FD's tail lights making the first one.

Takumi floored the throttle for what remained of the straight before flying through the hairpin with as little braking as possible with Keisuke following him through it nearly paralleling Takumi's drift.

The two men managed to catch up to the red Mazda as they were coming to the entrance of Akina's five consecutive hairpins. As they powered through the first one Takumi hooked the tires into the gutter for the exit speed, Keisuke moved as close as he could without slipping into the gutter since the front bumper and side skirts of his FD would be destroyed if he hooked the tires.

Once they exited the first hairpin Takumi and the red FD were bumper to bumper and Keisuke was less than four feet off the MR-2's rear bumper as they entered the second hair pin. Once out of the hairpins Takumi and Keisuke went down either side just as they had with the others began putting on a show as well as opening the gap slightly over the red FD till they got to the bottom of the mountain.

"Hey, what's the big idea interrupting my practice run?" A buzz cut 5'9" tall blonde with a pair of dog tags around his neck asked as he slammed the door on his red FD, "I thought no one else ran this time of night, except maybe that old tale about a ghost 86 that ran Akina."

"Say hello to the ghost kid, and we were just looking to ask you a question, nothing more," Keisuke said with a calm tone trying to prevent a fight so early in the morning while pointing a thumb at Takumi.

"You must be mistaken Sir, but from what I hear the ghost of Akina drove a panda Trueno 86, not an 87 MR-2," the young man said sounding much calmer now, "Sorry about before, I'm just not used to seeing many racers who can run me down on this course, took me by surprise is all."

"No problem, you aren't the worst reception we've ever had," Takumi said with a slight chuckle remembering the two Lan-Evo drivers that wrecked Keisuke's FD about six years before, "But after blowing two engines I was forced to scrap the 86."

"Okay, I guess I can believe that, but why go to an MR-2?" The young man asked leaning back on his hood, "I mean it's completely different from an 86 especially since it's a mid-ship and turbo charged."

"This is just one of the trainer cars for the driving technique school we teach at," Keisuke said pointing towards the amethyst car before taking out a cigarette and lighting it.

"Well if you don't mind, I'm going to introduce myself before we go further, my name is Gavin Reynolds," the young blonde said as he stuck out a hand.

"Keisuke Takahashi, he's Takumi Fujiwara, we drove GT500 and GT300 as well as for the old team Project D," Keisuke said shaking Gavin's out stretched hand.

The three men stood and talked in the lower parking lot of Mt. Akina till the sun began to rise and Gavin agreed to come to the school and check it out.

"He turned polite once he calmed down," Takumi said once the two men arrived back at the school where they would soon be teaching.

"You didn't see the tags he had around his neck, he's a military kid for sure," Keisuke responded as he leaned on one of the guardrails that lined the school's private racing course, "Kyoko wants you and Natsuki to come over to dinner tonight, we've also invited Wataru Akiyama."

"We'll be there then, I'm gonna run a few laps in my Honda before I go home, but I'll call her later on," Takumi replied heading for the parking area to get his car.

Later that evening Takumi and Natsuki arrived at the younger Takahashi's home in Maebashi, a beautiful two story home made of brick.

"I can't believe we haven't been here since Keisuke and Kyoko's wedding," Natsuki said as Takumi opened the passenger door of the S2000 for her.

"Well we're here now so you have fun with Kyoko while Keisuke, Wataru and I talk about racing," the brown haired man said with a chuckle when he noticed a black and white Toyota Levin with a carbon fiber hood near the garage door.

Kyoko greeted the couple at the door and led them to the dinner table where Keisuke and a tall man with long black hair were talking and laughing together, Takumi quickly joined in while Kyoko and Natsuki left the men to their reminiscing to finish up cooking dinner together. After dinner and several hours had passed Takumi and Keisuke seemed to have the same thing on their mind.

"Wataru, you and Nobuhiko wanted to come see the school right?" Keisuke asked as they walked towards the door.

"We can be by tomorrow if you have time," the tall black haired man responded shaking Keisuke and Takumi's hands before hugging Kyoko.

"We'll be there, maybe we'll have a little race while we're there," the spiky blonde haired man said with a laugh as Wataru walked out the door.

"Takumi, why don't we get Nobuhiko and Wataru on as teachers at Aniki's school?" Keisuke asked as soon as Wataru was in his car.

"I was thinking the same thing, Wataru would make for a good mechanics teacher," the brown haired man replied while Kyoko and Natsuki said good bye to each other, shortly after Takumi and Natsuki left for the night.

The next day at the school's front door Fumihiro was waiting for Takumi and Keisuke to arrive. The older black haired man watched as the yellow FD pulled into the school's huge parking area closely followed by the white S2000.

"Guys I found out who that Mikio Taniguchi is connected with," he said as the two other men climbed out of their cars.

"Was it the Emperors?" Keisuke asked as he walked towards the building.

"Unfortunately yes, Seji Iwaki took him under his wing about a little over two years ago, he's got some skill, but he's also a shady racer," Fumihiro answered turning on his heels to follow the two other men.

"Who did you call?" Takumi asked confused, "And how did they know all that?"

"Kyoichi Sudo," Fumihiro said with a chuckle as they walked into the building, "He was the first and the last call, as I expected."

The morning was uneventful, Keisuke and Takumi continued to memorize the course and all its different layouts a few laps each at a time in the Mazda Cosmo and the AW11, while Kyoko and Natsuki watched on as their husbands raced around the course chasing each other.

"I think Takumi is enjoying that Mazda, he's getting faster each lap," Kyoko said pointing to some of the marks she'd made on her watch face.

"You can keep time like that without a stop watch? That's impressive," Natsuki said leaning to look at the watch.

"It's not exact, but you can tell enough," the dirty blonde said with a chuckle, "Keisuke is enjoying that AW11 just as much though."

Takumi, Keisuke and their brides were eating their lunch at one of the schools picnic tables when a white 1985 Toyota Levin GT APEX, with a carbon fiber hood and the distinct whine of a super charger, and a silver 2000 Toyota Altezza pulled into the parking area.

"So just looking at the place, would you teach here?" Keisuke asked with a chuckle.

"I'd come just to race on that course for a day," Wataru responded with a full hearted laugh, "You guys remember my cousin Nobuhiko," he added pointing at the semi long black haired man with glasses behind him.

"Takumi made a pretty big fool out of me as a driver and a strategist last time any of us met," Nobuhiko said while scratching his head.

"The strategy was sound, the weather helped us out though," Fumihiro said from just behind the pair of men, "That Cappuccino would have had us if it hadn't rained."

Wataru and Nobuhiko got a full tour of the school while Takumi and Keisuke set things up for a four way race on the school's course.

"So what do you think of the place?" Keisuke asked as Wataru and Nobuhiko came out to the track's pit area.

"Not bad, Fumihiro said something about you wanting us to teach here though," Nobuhiko said as he looked around the track area.

"True enough, Nobuhiko you could teach the logic and strategy, Wataru and Kyoko could teach mechanics as well as be the backup technique teachers if Takumi or I get sick," Keisuke said leaning against the long guardrail of the pit area.

Everyone was surprised when he suggested that Kyoko teach at the school as well, but after about ten minutes of discussing it did seem a good idea, as well as a possible necessity. Wataru and Kyoko quickly agreed to teach the mechanics of the cars while Nobuhiko seemed to hesitate.

"What's the problem Nobuhiko?" Fumihiro asked as he saw the man's contemplative look.

"Nothing, just thinking about if I would get any track time or not for teaching purposes, either way I'm in," Nobuhiko said with a chuckle.

As black clouds began to roll into the sky the race was postponed and the group went their separate ways. Kyoko and Natsuki back to their respective homes, Wataru and Nobuhiko back to where ever they had come from while Takumi, Keisuke and Fumihiro went back to working.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It had been two months since Takumi and Keisuke accepted positions at Ryosuke's driving school, and as the early morning June sun began to rise behind them the whole staff stood in front of the school awaiting their first official class to arrive. They watched on as five cars filed into the parking area, a blue pearl Z33 leading the way followed by two SE3Ps; one Aztec gold, the other harvest gold; a toreador red FD and a Baja red Lan-Evo III.

As the drivers each stepped from their cars they looked around at the other drivers while staying close to their own cars. Takumi and Keisuke made the first move and walked towards the class, the rest of the teachers following close behind.

"Alright, Fujiwara and I know each of you, but we'll all introduce ourselves anyway." Keisuke said with a stern tone that got the attention of the new students, "I'm Keisuke Takahashi, GT500 driver, uphill ace of Project D, and anchor for the RedSuns."

"I'm Takumi Fujiwara, GT300 driver and downhill ace for Project D," the brown haired man said with the same confident tone as he stood next to the spiky blonde haired man, "We're going to be teaching you techniques used in professional driving as well as some stuff you can use in the mountains."

"I'm Wataru Akiyama, no professional background but I've been tuning cars for a long time and racing in the mountains when I can," the man with long black hair said calmly from just behind Keisuke's right side.

"I'm Kyoko Takahashi; I'm a street racer and a mechanic. Wataru and I will be teaching you how to tune and fix your own cars to fit your driving style as it changes," the dirty blonde haired woman to Takumi's left said as she stepped forward.

"I'm Nobuhiko Akiyama, I'll be your strategy teacher," the black haired man with glasses said from Wataru's right side, "If you can, introduce yourselves with team name and car along with your names and ages."

The students looked at the teachers, all standing with authority before them, all with the same confidence in their eyes and none looking like they would take any kind of crap.

"Nika Mahara, I'm twenty years old, I drive the Z33 and I do so alone," the girl with long brown hair said as though un-intimidated by the teacher's tone, while pointing over her shoulder at her car, which featured a wide body kit with three openings in the front bumper and a hood with two vents on either side.

"Gavin Reynolds, I'm twenty-one years old, I drive the FD, also a loner," the buzz cut blonde with dog tags around his neck said pointing to the heavily modified car, which had fixed headlights, a carbon fiber hood and wing and a body kit resembling that of Keisuke's own FD, but it seemed to stand a little higher from the ground.

"I'm Tatsuo Sasaki, my sister Reiko and I are the rotary twins of Akagi, we're twenty years old, we drive the SE3Ps," the semi long black haired man said pointing to the two cars with front splitters and 'duck tail' spoilers molded into the trunk lids.

"Mine is the harvest gold, his is the Aztec gold," the curly black haired young woman added to her brother's introduction.

"Mikio Taniguchi, I'm twenty-three and I lead the Emperors of Iroha. I drive the Lan-Evo III over there," the stocky blonde said with a wide smirk while pointing to the stock body car behind him.

Again there was silence in the parking area as Keisuke looked to the track before looking back to the students. Takumi and the others stood knowing what was coming next.

"Alright, now that introductions are completed, we need to know what you can do, Fujiwara will take one of the school's trainer cars around the track three times, his lowest lap time is your goal, if you can't meet it or beat it now, you will be able to by the time we're done with you," Keisuke said turning towards the track with everyone following him as Takumi went to the garage.

"This should be interesting, I've seen one of the cars they could use for this," Gavin said to no one in particular as the group made their way to the guardrails lining the course.

"Really now, even I didn't get to see the cars they use here when I took the tour, how did you?" Nika asked with an unbelieving tone leaning against the guardrail, "And what is it?"

"I was chased by Fujiwara-sensei down Akina in it, it's an AW11 and it's turbocharged, can't say if the engine's been modified at all because I didn't get a look," the buzz cut blonde replied ignoring the tone the brown haired girl had used, "They did say they had two though."

"Mr. Reynolds, the AW11 you saw Takumi with on Akina is unmodified, only making 145 horsepower," Kyoko said as she approached the group of students, "The other is a 1967 Mazda Cosmo with an NA 13B-DEI engine, though even with this swap it only puts out 160 horsepower, so I would watch these laps carefully."

The sound of a rotary engine filled the air as they watched the aurora white car scream onto the track taking each of the corners like they were straight lines. As the little Cosmo approached a right handed hairpin the new students were in awe of the speed they were seeing from this highly under powered car, they were stunned to see the car slide around the hairpin without seeming to slow down.

'_Slowed down too much in that hairpin,'_ Takumi thought as he punched the pedal to the floor.

The three laps passed quickly, each one only slightly faster than the last since he had a running start on his first. The students were still in shock as the small rotary powered car pulled into the pit area. Takumi looked to the time keepers. Keisuke held up his hand to signal he had the lowest lap time on his stopwatch, the spiky blonde haired man then wrote the time on a whiteboard in the pit box before holding it up.

"Alright, this is your goal, let's see who can hit it, starting with Ms. Mahara," Keisuke said showing the group an unbelievably low time.

"I'll give it a try, I'm interested to see if I can," Nika said with a chuckle before running to her car as Takumi opened the gate to the track.

As the blue pearl machine approached the gate onto the track Tatsuo and Reiko were looking out at the course.

"Do you think you can hit the time brother?" the curly black haired girl asked as she sat on the guardrail.

"I don't know, but if I can get close I know you can beat it, you just have to watch me," Tatsuo said confidently as they saw Nika's Z33 pull to the start line and the window roll down.

"Listen up, you'll have three laps each, two practice runs and what's called a hot lap or a flying lap to set your time, so don't hold back on your last lap," Keisuke said loud enough for Nika to hear, receiving a nod from the brown haired girl in the Z33.

Nika and the Z33 took off at the go, and hit the first two corners at full speed before braking into the third.

"She's going for it on the first lap, I don't think she'll make it," Keisuke whispered to Takumi as both of them continued to watch on.

"She'll spin in the hairpin if she keeps this up, there was a wet spot from that rain a few days ago," Takumi replied in the same hushed tone.

Nika slammed on the accelerator to the floor as she entered the straight before the hairpin. Just before the hairpin the brown haired girl slammed on the brakes and slid into the hairpin still going too fast and just as Takumi predicted she spun out into the gravel. Everyone was looking towards the car for a few moments before it began to move again, finishing the lap and pulling into the pit area.

"I'm done, something knocked loose in the spin out, felt it in the left hander after the hairpin," Nika said as she climbed out of the pearl blue Z33.

"Alright Tatsuo Sasaki, you're next," Keisuke said after nodding to the brown haired girl acknowledging her dropping out.

Tatsuo nodded before he proceeded to retrieve his car, the Aztec gold RX-8, while Nika moved hers off the track. Once he was on the line he waited for the go before launching into the first corners at a pretty good pace and taking his time to get to know the course on his first lap.

"He's smart, runs the course first then he'll punch it at the line," Takumi whispered to Keisuke.

"He's going for it now," Wataru said hearing the rotary wind up as Tatsuo began his attack on the course.

Through the first two corners he was well on the pace to matching the lap time. He kept his pace for several corners before he started to fall off.

"Something's wrong," Reiko said aloud to no one in particular as she watched her brother continue to fall further behind the pace.

Tatsuo managed to get back some of the speed he'd lost before the second hairpin. He slammed the brakes hard as he entered the second hairpin. The sound of his rotary engine screaming could be heard just over his tires.

'_Not too bad,' _the black haired man thought as he came out of the corner and slammed the accelerator to the floor.

"He's catching up, but I don't think he'll make it in time, he's working his last lap now," Wataru whispered as the Aztec gold SE3P flew across the line to start his third lap.

"He won't, his back left seems to be low on pressure, it's causing the tail to slide more on the right hand corners," Takumi whispered back as he watched the car slide out, "That's where he's losing his cornering speed."

The Aztec gold SE3P flew through the corners losing precious milliseconds at each one before sliding the last corner and flying across the line.

"He didn't make it, but he came close in the second lap, his third lap was lost to his tires," Keisuke said loud enough to be heard by the teachers only.

"Should we replace the tires and let him run again?" Kyoko asked as she watched the group of students congratulating Tatsuo.

"No he managed, that shows effort, but we will alert him to the problem before he leaves," Wataru answered before anyone else could.

"I'll go next, and show you all how it's really done," Mikio said with an arrogant tone and ran to his car and headed for the track.

Keisuke shook his head before giving the stocky young blonde the signal to go. The Lan-Evo III pushed through the first lap nearly crashing twice into the walls around the back side and front guardrails near the pit area causing student and teacher alike to back away from the rails.

"He's gonna kill the car before he gets through with the second lap," Takumi said under his breath.

"I know, he's going too fast," Wataru said as he looked at his stop watch, "He's nowhere near the times though so it's all speed and no brains."

"We don't have our tow truck yet, he crashes he's stuck here till someone can come get him," Keisuke added to the conversation.

As the Lan-Evo III came into its final lap its tires were screaming for mercy and it was going nowhere near fast enough to catch the time Takumi had set at nearly two seconds behind the pace. Mikio was behind the wheel struggling to keep the car on the track in the corners and too busy watching his times to notice where he should brake so he was losing time faster than before.

_'Damn it, something is wrong with the car, I can't get it to hit the right lines,'_ the stocky blonde thought as he pushed through a sharp left handed corner without braking.

"Arrogance of Seji Iwaki, but no skills to back his mouth," Keisuke chuckled as he watched the Lan-Evo III fly through last corner and across the line nearly five seconds behind Takumi's slowest time.

When the Baja red machine pulled off the course the teachers saw the tires were nearly shredded during the run.

"Mr. Taniguchi be sure you get a set of tires before you leave, I'm sure we have your size," the spiky haired bleach blonde man said calmly staring the younger man in the eye.

"Thought you were going to show us how it was done Taniguchi-san, what happened?" Gavin said with a chuckle, "My Dad could drift his jet better than you can in that car."

This statement seamed to lighten the mood for a few moments even though Mikio looked as though he were about to blow a gasket and punch the buzz cut blonde in the process.

"Something was wrong with my car, it wouldn't stay on the lines and it felt like it was lagging when I hit the accelerator," Mikio stated in a cold tone, "And I don't appreciate being made fun of."

"Mr. Taniguchi if you ever used your brakes your tires would last a lot longer and you would be able to hold your line easier," Takumi stated in the same cold tone the stocky blonde had used, "Stop blaming your car for your short comings."

The other instructors nodded their agreement with the statement as did most of the other students which made Mikio even angrier. He held his tongue and managed to get his temper under control before he exploded.

"We aren't here to baby you, we're here to teach you what you can do better, so don't get pissed at us when you hear something you don't like," Keisuke said noticing how red the younger man's face had gotten, "Gavin Reynolds, since you made the joke why don't you go next."

The buzz cut blonde nodded politely and left the guardrail to retrieve his car. Keisuke and Kyoko watched with increased interest as he maneuvered the toreador red FD to the line. Takumi walked to the line and gave the signal to go; the toreador red FD simply drove away from the line at almost normal traffic speeds.

"This is new," Takumi said as he watched on as the young blonde drove slowly around the course for the first lap and into the second.

"I think I know what he's doing," Nobuhiko stated joining in the discussion, "He's walking the course, slow around twice to pick up the details then fly the third."

"Project D had a little scooter for doing that, really does help to see all the details of the course," Keisuke said with a quiet chuckle.

As the red FD came out of the final corner of its second lap the rotary engine under its hood began to scream as its driver slammed foot to floor with the accelerator between them. All the way through the first hairpin Gavin managed to keep his pace up, but he over shot the release point of the brakes and slowed down too much for the hairpin.

'_Crap, thought I had it, but I can still come close,'_ the buzz cut blonde thought as he continued blazing through the rest of the course.

"He's good, so far he's the closest one to the times," Takumi stated resuming the hushed conversation between teachers only.

"Yeah, he's fallen off the pace a little but he's still determined to get close, that's both good and bad, could push too hard and end the lap poorly," Keisuke said keeping his eyes on the FD as he flew through the corners.

"Reiko Sasaki, go ahead and get your car, you're the last driver today," Kyoko said in a kind tone as she walked towards the students, "The rest of you, the mechanics will check your cars before you leave to make sure they're still safe to drive, Ms. Mahara yours will be first since you spun out into the gravel."

"I'll wait till last Takahashi-sensei, if I have torn something up it may take time to fix," Nika said calmly receiving only a nod from the older woman even though Kyoko fully intended to ignore the young lady's request.

All of the students watched on as Gavin set the closest times to the one set by Takumi as he maneuvered the red FD off the course.

"Reiko remember what you watched and use it, especially Gavin's lap," Tatsuo said in a calm tone as he leaned through the window of the harvest gold SE3P.

Reiko nodded and drove onto the course, as she approached the line the black haired girl took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes once she stopped on it. She began watching replays of her brother's and the FD's laps in her mind before a tap on the window snapped her out of it.

"Are you ready?" Takumi asked through the closed window.

Reiko nodded and revved the rotary engine under the hood of her SE3P as a look of determination came to her face; she took off when she saw Takumi's arm drop. The black haired girl was keeping pace with Takumi's first lap as she completed her second.

'_I won't catch Gavin's time,'_ Reiko thought as she hit the second hairpin on her third and final lap, _'I missed somewhere.'_

Reiko came in second fastest of the students and no one managed to catch Takumi. The students seemed to all move to one side of the pit area, the teachers moved opposite them.

"Okay, now you know power isn't everything, you were beat by a Mazda with 160 horsepower, but can any of you explain why?" Keisuke asked as the students leaned against the opposite guardrail.

"I'm not sure I can explain all of it, but I can try and come close," Gavin said with his head held around shoulder height, "Experience with the track plays a big part in it, but also knowing the car."

"That is most of it actually, knowing the track more than knowing the car in this case," Keisuke said with a slight chuckle, "We've been driving that Cosmo for a while, we know how it moves and what it's going to do, but we've also been driving the school's AW11 and our own cars on this track, you know the same things about your cars."

"We know this track better because we've been driving it every day with each possible track in every car available to us," Takumi said calmly, "You will know this track better than the mountains you race on by the time you're done here, but for now get your cars over to the garage, then head inside the main building where Nobuhiko will take over."

As most of the others split up to get their cars Gavin seemed planted to the ground as he stared at the track, watching his mind's images of his classmate's laps.

"Mr. Reynolds, is there a problem?" Kyoko asked snapping the young man out of his reverie and causing the other students to stop.

"Just a question actually ma'am, when do we get to drive against the staff?" the buzz cut blonde asked not turning away from the track.

"When Fujiwara-sensei and Takahashi-sensei say so, when that will be depends totally on you and your classmates," the dirty blonde haired woman said with a chuckle.

With that Gavin and the other students retrieved their cars from the lot and moved them into the same garage the school's two trainer cars were kept.

First into the small garage was the blue pearl Z33, its body kit and spoiler covered heavily in dust after it spun into the gravel, but all in one piece. The bottom of its 3.5L engine was covered in a pretty thick layer of dust as well.

"Got to love NISMO cars," Wataru said with a chuckle as he spotted the oddly bent exhaust system under the car, "Kyoko, get the VIN and tire sizes so we get the right parts and tires from our dealer."

As the black haired man continued to check out the suspension and brakes on the Z33, the FD pulled into the next bay, its toreador red paint covered in a thin layer of dust and a little bit of tar from the track.

"Well, let's see what let you get so close to Takumi," Kyoko said to the car as she lifted the hood before stepping back with a gasp nearly dropping the hood in the process.

"What is it Kyoko?" Wataru asked as he looked out from behind the tire of the Z33 on the lift.

"This is a 20B rotary engine in here," the dirty blonde responded with a surprised tone still staring at the engine, "How did he get this engine?"

"How do I know, let's get these checks done and we'll ask," the black haired man said with a slight chuckle as he went back to work.

As each car came into the bay Kyoko took note of tire sizes and Vehicle Identification Numbers as well as any major modifications while Wataru continued to fix what ailed the Z33. The two SE3Ps and the FD all featured twin turbochargers and an almost completely modified suspension in the FD's case, the Z33 was a NISMO R Tune with an additional cold air intake, while the Lan-Evo III appeared completely stock at a quick glance.

The class gathered at the track gates to see a Grand Prix white Honda S2000 sitting on the start line of the course and their own cars back in the parking area.

"So Fujiwara-sensei is making another lap?" Nika asked as the teachers began to walk over.

"That's correct, and these times will be your next goal since it seems we underestimated a few of you," Keisuke replied with a slight chuckle as the students eyes got wide.

"Actually this will be more of a demonstration of how the principles you will learn in the Cosmo and the AW11 can transfer to the faster cars you drive," Takumi said with a more serious tone, "And since Keisuke brought it up, it will also set a goal line for you as students, you meet or beat my fastest time and you'll have the opportunity to choose a staff member to race against."

"We'll all be practicing in our own ways so don't think it will be easy," Wataru added while he handed the students keys back to them as Takumi made his way to the S2000.

Keisuke gave the go and Takumi sped away from the line and continued to gain speed as he flew through the first long right hander. The Honda seemed to become a white blur as it blew through the right handed 270 degree corner that lead into the first u-turn of the course.

"Incredible, he's nearly through to the first hairpin already," Nika said sounding completely astounded as the S2000 continued on its way.

"Just wait, this is only the first lap," Gavin said with a nervous chuckle.

As the conversation on pit road stopped the S2000 was just braking for the long right handed u-turn that marked the last major corner of the course layout. Once Takumi cleared the long corner he floored the throttle and watched as the speedometer flew through the numbers as he shifted gears at just the right moment before sliding through the last corner and heading into his second lap.

"Nearly ten seconds faster than his times in the Cosmo from a stand still, this is going to take us forever," Reiko said as Keisuke showed them Takumi's lap time.

"Don't worry, just keep an open mind, we'll catch him some day," Tatsuo said as he looked away from the course to comfort his sister.

"Hey, he's switched driving styles, he's gripping through the corners more," Mikio exclaimed bringing everyone's attention back to the course.

"I don't think so, there is too much smoke coming off the tires, if he were gripping there wouldn't be any," Gavin responded keeping his eyes pinned to the car.

The buzz cut blonde was right, Takumi wasn't running by grip, he was using a style he'd learned from Dr. Toshiya Joshima of the Purple Shadow. As he flew through the straight after the first hairpin Takumi was steering with one hand as he downshifted through the gears and blew through the v-turn like it wasn't there. The students remained in awe of the lap time as Takumi pulled the car into the pit lane after completing a fourth much slower lap.

"So when did you get better at using God Arm's technique?" Keisuke asked as Takumi climbed from the car's driver's seat.

"I've been practicing since I learned of it, I guess I got better over the years," the black haired man responded with a chuckle, "I'm guessing I set a pretty high bar for our students."

"Yeah, I think Mr. Reynolds or Ms. Sasaki will hit it first, just based on what we've seen today," the spiky bleach blonde replied.

"Well you never know so we'll dismiss them for the day and look over the laps, see where we can improve them," Kyoko interrupted with a discreet finger pointed at the students.

With a nod from all the teachers Keisuke stepped over to the students and told them they were free to go for the day before heading into the main building with the other staff of the school.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As the sun came up over Mt. Myogi four cars sat in the summit parking lot in a close circle, their headlights illuminating the small area and the four people that were standing near or leaning on the cars.

"I can't believe how much faster you've gotten in just a month Reiko, I just wish I could get this beast to act like your SE3P," a long brown haired young woman asked as she patted the hood of a pearl blue Z33, "You even managed to beat that Cosmo lap time from our first day at this school last week, by nearly two seconds at that."

"Nika, you're just as fast, you just need a little more practice time is all," Reiko, a tall long black haired young woman, responded politely before she sat down in front of her harvest gold SE3P, "That's why we're at Myogi tonight."

"And don't forget that any one of us would help you out if you asked," Gavin, the buzz cut blonde with dog tags around his neck, said in a kind tone as he leaned on the carbon fiber hood of his toreador red FD, "Which reminds me, Tatsuo did you get to mention this little get together to Taniguchi?"

"I mentioned it, but you know him, he found a way to make a friendly invite sound like a bad thing for him so he didn't come," Tatsuo, a tall black haired man, responded as he sat in front of an Aztec gold SE3P, "Gavin, even you have to admit though, he is getting a bit faster without much help."

"True enough, but he could be less of a jerk about things," Gavin responded with a slightly agitated tone.

"Why don't we go to Irohazaka? From what I hear Fujiwara-sensei and Takahashi-sensei haven't even seen him drive in a mountain yet, at least then we can see how he does on a home course," Nika suggested with an interested tone.

"Maybe next time he starts bragging about having a challenge, but it's getting early and we all have to be at class in about 4 hours," Gavin said with a slight chuckle as he checked his watch, "If we aren't in Irohazaka next week we can meet on Akina."

The group split up and headed in different directions as the sun's light began to fill the sky overhead with purples and blues.

As Gavin, Tatsuo and Reiko watched their classmate's Z33 fly through the last corner of its first lap of the day they spoke to each other about where small improvements would be immediate and where some larger ones could be made.

"What is Ms. Mahara doing?" a voice came from behind the three students.

"She decided to make an attempt at the Cosmo's lap time before regular classes Fujiwara-sensei," Gavin replied showing his teacher the stop watch over his shoulder so he wouldn't miss anything.

"Alright then," Takumi replied as he walked away.

"I seem to be left out again," a stocky blonde young man said as he approached the guardrail to the course.

"Only in the fact that you haven't beaten Fujiwara-sensei's time, Nika-chan just managed to," Gavin replied showing the slightly older man the stop watch.

"You were invited to Myogi last night Mikio-san and every mountain training session we've had since we started here, but you refused any help," Tatsuo said calmly as his sister waved Nika in off the track.

"Well something was off with the car, I should have it nailed down for my next race though," Mikio said with a confident smirk, "Some poser is coming out to Irohazaka this Saturday to face me."

"Well even though you hate hearing it from us, good luck," Nika said from behind the stocky blonde, her Z33 idling just behind her.

As the week progressed Mikio made several attempts to meet the Cosmo's time, but he seemed to get further and further away from it before he gave up for a while and sat grumbling as the other students got closer and closer to Takumi's Honda lap time, both of which were still very clearly written on the white board in pit lane. The other students noticed but didn't offer any assistance since they knew the stocky blonde would just turn them away or blame his car.

Saturday came around and Mikio was waiting for his opponent at the top of the Nikko-Irohazaka pass while unknown to him his classmates were making their way down to a point during the hairpins where they could watch the race.

"We can watch from here, we won't be able to see a whole lot, but it should definitely be enough to see who's going to win," Gavin said as he and the rest of the students arrived at one of the last hairpins on the course.

"Okay I get why we're here, but why couldn't we have parked at the bottom?" Reiko asked sitting on the outside of the guardrail.

"Because if Taniguchi's ego is what I think it is he'll call foul play in a public place if he loses," the buzz cut blonde responded with a serious tone as he looked around, "I'm going to go find someone with a radio, should be back before the race starts."

As Gavin walked off Reiko, Tatsuo and Nika began discussing how to get Mikio to listen to any of them, eventually settling on he would have to lose a race on his home course and from the rumors they'd heard going around the mountain, this would be that race.

"Race starts in five minutes, it'll take at least another five for the racers to get this far into the course based solely on length and the fact it's nearly all hairpins," Gavin said jumping back over the guardrail and stumbling slightly as his feet hit the ground.

"You get the radio you went looking for?" Tatsuo said with a slight chuckle.

Gavin grinned and held the radio up with the proper frequency tuned in on its small screen.

"Don't know that the guy I took it from knows I took it from him, but he had three more so I don't think he'll miss just one," the buzz cut blonde said with chuckle.

Reiko and Nika looked sorely disappointed and extremely surprised at their supposedly military classmate as Tatsuo just laughed with him.

A few minutes later, reports from each hairpin began ringing through the radio in Gavin's hand, the red Lan-Evo III led the race through most of the first hairpins even though it seemed his challenger, a black GC8, was chewing his bumper to toy with him a bit. Around the thirty-first hairpin Mikio was passed by his opponent who used a line that allowed him to fly through the air and cut a good sized chunk out of the corner.

"Using a widely known maneuver like that is good for taking the lead, but it may have been too early," Tatsuo said under his breath as the reports of the race continued.

"What do you mean by that?" Gavin asked with a serious tone.

"Mikio could recover from the shock and start using it against his opponent, even in such a large machine it is possible to slide the car enough to make the proper landing point," the tall black haired man responded as he leaned on the guardrail.

The sounds of two engines made their way to the group's ears accompanied by the occasional sounds of metal scrapping the pavement, Gavin reported the corner, and as Tatsuo had predicted, Mikio had picked up the GC8's trick and was using it to keep close to them, but not close enough to pass using it.

"Okay so in a high pressure situation he can think, now we just need to figure out how to make that work at school," Tatsuo said with a hint of amazement in his tone.

After the Lan-Evo and its challenger left the sight of the group they began trekking up the mountain talking about ways to come down the mountain after the race. When they arrived back at the summit parking area they knew that Mikio had lost, but he made it a close race and that both racers were on their way back up.

As the two cars pulled into the area cheers erupted from the crowd even a few from supposed Emperors team members that Gavin had spoken to when the group of classmates arrived.

"I want a rematch, no way could you win against me without cheating," Mikio yelled as he climbed from his car, "Not on this course!"

"Take your loss and learn from it bud, no need to get mean just cause you lost," the challenger responded in a calm tone.

"NO! You aren't leaving here till you admit you cheated," the stocky bleach blonde said as he stepped too close to the challenger.

Before anyone could react the GC8's driver pulled back a fist and landed a hard right jab to Mikio's jaw. The sudden impact and the force of the punch caused Mikio to fall on flat on his back. Gavin jumped between the challenger and Mikio before the larger man could do anymore damage.

"Time to cool off okay big guy, you've landed your punch," the buzz cut blonde said with a calm tone and a relaxed stance showing he didn't want to fight.

The challenger and his team left with a simple nod, a few door slams and screaming tires as three cars flew down the pass.

"That was sound advice he gave you about learning from your losses, should listen to others more, might learn something," Gavin said without turning around to face Mikio who was still on the ground.

The stocky blonde jumped up from the ground and simply walked to his car and drove off with no acknowledgment of Gavin's words or any of his classmates. The next day in Nobuhiko's classroom Nika noticed Mikio was staring out the window several times during the lecture, even had to jab him in the leg with a pen to get the stocky blonde's attention.

Over the next month Mikio managed to get closer to the Cosmo's lap time using some of the advice he'd heard flying around the school but still refused any direct help. He managed to hold his lines better, even if it was a bad line choice he managed, he got a better handle on braking at the right times and some throttle control.

Even with all his small improvements he remained closed off to his classmates, of which Gavin and Reiko had come within two seconds of being able to race one of the staff members just before Mikio had taken the track for the day.

"If we don't tell him he just matched the time for the Cosmo do you think he'd keep trying as hard as he has been this past month?" Takumi asked as he and the staff watched the Baja red Lan-Evo III make its third lap of the day.

"He knows, he's gotten a little over confident and he's falling off the pace already," Keisuke responded showing Takumi his stopwatch.

On the other end of pit lane Mikio's classmates were keeping their own times as the Lan-Evo made its third and final lap of the day. The stocky blonde was confident he was at least on pace with the Cosmo since he was pushing as hard as he thought possible. As he came out of the final corner the rear tires slipped a small amount but it was enough for the young man to know he'd blown the lap before he even saw the times himself.

"Well you got cocky as usual, but you got the time in your second lap so now all you need to do is keep your confidence in check and you'll keep shaving your times down," Gavin said with a chuckle and slapping the stocky bleach blonde man on the back as he climbed from the car, "In all seriousness though, try not to think about your times, concentrate on your lines and you'll be golden."

"Well how about you just race me in the mountains and we'll see what you know?" Mikio replied in an angered tone, "You all think you're better than me just cause it took me longer, so prove to me what you think is true."

"Mr. Taniguchi if you lay out a challenge here it can be answered here, no need to take it into the mountains," Keisuke said with a disapproving tone.

"Gavin, don't take this challenge, you know it's not right," Reiko pleaded as she grabbed the buzz cut blonde's arm.

"I won't hold back Taniguchi, but since you issued the challenge I'll let you pick the mountain," Gavin said calmly ignoring Reiko's pleas.

"Akagi's downhill, just you and me this Saturday," Mikio said trying to stare down the buzz cut blonde.

Gavin simply nodded and walked away with Reiko and Tatsuo close behind him both trying to talk him out of racing Mikio.

"You know damn good and well you can't win against him so why challenge him?" Nika asked with an angered tone, walking away before Mikio could reply at all.

A few hours later Takumi, Keisuke, Kyoko and Wataru were standing in the main building lobby as they watched a heavily modified FC pull into the lot. A tall brown haired man stepped out of the vehicle wearing a white suit with a blue shirt and white tie.

"What did you call me for Keisuke?" the man asked in a deep voice as he came through the school's door.

"Aniki, we have a problem, one of the students challenged another, we did try to stop it, but it seems they'll be racing in Akagi this Saturday," Keisuke answered as Ryosuke stopped in front of him.

"We used to do that Keisuke, what's so wrong with having a little mountain battle once in a while?" Ryosuke asked with a small chuckle.

"We aren't worried about the mountain battle, except for those two nimrods in the Lan-Evos all of our opponents played fair, I don't think the challenger will be playing fair this time," the spiky bleach blonde responded.

"We just want you to be close by if at all possible should someone need medical attention, we have a med bag here but it's not enough if someone goes off a cliff," Takumi said with some confidence in his tone.

After a few minutes of talking things over Ryosuke agreed to have a medical team on standby as best as possible as long as the staff mediated the race. As the week dragged on Mikio continued to get just a bit faster, he was meeting the Cosmo's time with each lap, but not moving any closer to the Honda's time.

'_Damn, I should be getting faster,' _Mikio thought as he pushed through his last lap of the day, _'It's the day before my challenge with Reynolds and I'm still no faster on this track.'_

"Gavin, you know Mikio is no match for you, why do you insist on going through with this crap challenge out of him?" Nika asked as the pair watched the Lan-Evo III making its way around the course one last time at a slow pace.

"To show him just what he needs to be shown," the buzz cut blonde said while he absent mindedly played with his dog tags.

"And what exactly is that?" the brown haired woman asked impatiently yanking the buzz cut blonde's sleeve so he'd face her.

"That I'm better at this than he is and he needs to stop calling honest racers cheaters because he sucks at it," Gavin replied with a cold tone pulling his arm away from the young woman, "Much as I may seem like an ass right now, it's what he needs, big guy needs to lose that cocky side of his and actually learn something."

"Fine, but if you get killed don't blame him, that twin turbo 20B engine under your hood isn't exactly a downhill kinda car," Nika said sounding concerned, "It's like my Z33, better for the uphill, which reminds me, just how did you get that engine?"

"Believe it or not I found it in a guy's garage, I don't know how or where he got it, but he was an idiot and I managed to buy it for less than it's worth," the buzz cut blonde said once again returning his gaze to the Lan-Evo still slowly making its way around the track.

Saturday soon rolled around and Gavin found himself alone at the top of Mt. Akagi waiting on everyone else to show up as he stared off into the stars while laid out across the carbon fiber hood of his FD.

_'Why does everyone seem so concerned about this race? Takahashi-sensei agreed to follow us to declare fair race or not, I'm just in it for the fun of racing and to teach that idiot Taniguchi a small lesson,'_ the buzz cut blonde thought as he rested his head on his hands, _'Wonder why Reiko was so worried about me in this race, thought she still hated me.'_

The sound of three rotary engines approaching brought the young man out of his thoughts but he remained in his place on the hood of his car as he turned his head to watch two SE3Ps and a yellow mica FD pull into the parking area with a Z33 and his opponent for the evening close behind.

"Alright, you two understand the basic unspoken rules of street racing, no intentional bumps and all that, now the rule of this school is that you give your absolute best and who ever crosses the finish line first wins, none of this cat and mouse stuff and no calling foul play at the end, that will be my job," Keisuke said once everyone had parked and gathered around him, "Now we're doing this side by side start, Ms. Mahara has volunteered to start for us, Fujiwara-sensei is somewhere on the course and a medical team waits at the bottom to be called should anything go wrong. So do we all understand the rules?"

Gavin gave a nod as did Mikio before both men simply walked away from each other and headed for their cars. Once the cars were lined up Gavin stepped out of his car before Nika could start counting, Tatsuo and Reiko shrugged when their brown haired classmate looked to them for answers as Mikio also stepped from his car.

"Gavin Reynolds, FD loner," the buzz cut blonde said sticking a hand out.

"Mikio Taniguchi, Irohazaka Emperors," the stocky blonde said politely said shaking his opponent's outstretched hand.

Keisuke lined up behind the two cars in his FD and saw the traditional racer's introduction he had become familiar with during his time as a driver for Project D and he couldn't help but smile at the memories of Project D and the RedSuns. He came back to reality as he heard the countdown start.

"FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE...GO!" Nika shouted before both cars flew by on either side of her.

Keisuke took off shortly after Nika was clear of the road and easily caught his students before the second major corner of the course.

Gavin had easily taken the lead from the start line and was clearly the better driver on the short straight right before the first corner. Mikio did everything he could to keep up, but his Lan-Evo just didn't have the power to manage.

At the first corner Gavin swung the FD into a full drift allowing Mikio to catch up enough to stay close enough through the second straight. Through the first set of winding corners Gavin managed a small gap coming into the long straight.

_'Taniguchi, you're about to get left behind,' _Gavin thought before drifting around the hairpin before the long straight, _'And I know just what you'll say too, so good bye.'_

As Gavin concentrated on the road ahead of him and increased his pace once again, Mikio tried to catch him with everything he'd been practicing but it didn't seem to be working as he cleared the hairpin leading to the multiple s-curves.

_'Why, why can't I catch him? He's got so much power but it seems like half of it never existed the way he just keeps going,' _Mikio thought as he pushed the accelerator a little closer to the floor as the FD continued to open the gap, _'I won't give up, not yet.'_

As Mikio's Lan-Evo III came around the next hairpin he spotted one tail light of the FD as it cleared the corner ahead of him. He ignored the headlights shining in his mirror and pressed the accelerator all the way down before slamming the brakes, allowing the tail to slide out and flooring the accelerator yet again to maintain the drift around the hairpin.

_'This kid has two sides, the jack ass and the actual racer, but both are sloppy,'_ Keisuke thought watching the Lan-Evo in front of him before noticing the FD was completely out of his sight, _'Mr. Reynolds seems to have left us behind.'_

Takumi heard the rotary engine approaching his post and he got his radio ready to tell Keisuke the checkpoint times. As the red FD blasted by him Takumi noticed he didn't hear any engine noise but the rotary driving away from him.

"Keisuke is everything alright? The FD just passed by and I don't hear you," Takumi said into the radio just before hearing the distinct combination of a rotary engine and a four cylinder engine approaching.

"We're fine, didn't realize we were that far behind, but fine," Keisuke replied once he got to a safe spot to do so, "We're just clearing the third straight."

Gavin was pushing hard, he could tell his back tires were nearly shredded and he knew he should stop, but he wasn't about to. The buzz cut blonde reached to the dog tags around his neck and wrapped his hand around them momentarily before placing his hand back on the wheel and drifting into the next hairpin corner at nearly full throttle.

Mikio was just one hairpin behind the buzz cut blonde but he couldn't see or hear his engine anymore. As he continued to run hard trying to catch the FD the stocky blonde could tell his tires still had some grip left in them and pushed just a little harder as he entered the straight with Keisuke close behind him.

'_Alright last hairpin set, let's put a true end to this,' _Gavin thought as he watched the hairpins grow closer.

The red FD slid through the hairpins with ease as he slammed foot to floor each time he entered or came out of one. Once he cleared the last hairpin the buzz cut blonde floored the throttle and kept his foot down till just after he crossed the line.

"The red FD crossed the finish line, now we're waiting on the other two, we can hear them but we can't see them yet," A voice said through the radios in Keisuke and Takumi's cars.

A few long moments later Keisuke and Mikio came into the lower parking area, and Keisuke announced the winner once everyone was at the bottom. Gavin simply sat on his hood as he had at the summit as Takumi and Keisuke left with the medical team.

"So how did you get so far ahead?" Mikio asked in a condescending tone, "What are you really running under that hood?"

"Saw that coming," Tatsuo said under his breath after letting out an agitated breath.

"I got as far ahead as I did by being the better driver Taniguchi and you know that this FD is a twin turbo 20B rotary, there's nothing else to it," the buzz cut blonde replied with an agitated tone, "You call me a cheater and I'll lay you out faster than your last opponent."

"I happen to believe you did cheat, no way in hell you got that far ahead without something helping you out," the stocky bleach blonde said in the same tone.

Just like at Irohazaka before anyone could react, Gavin had reached up with his right hand, curled it into a fist and hooked upwards into Mikio's jaw causing the heavier young man's feet to momentarily leave the ground before his whole body came down with a thud.

"Gavin, did you kill him?" Tatsuo asked taking a step up next to his classmate.

"Nah, just knocked him out, somebody keep an eye on him and make sure he does wake up, I'm out of here," Gavin said shaking his hand a couple times before walking to his car and driving off leaving a trail of smoke from the tires behind him.

Everyone was on time for their class on Monday except for Mikio who showed up twenty minutes late and looking as though he hadn't slept in some time with an added bruise to his jaw from where Gavin had hit him.

"Mr. Taniguchi, is there a legitimate reason why you are late? You were supposed to be first on the course today," Takumi asked disrupting his talking with the students about what happened after the school staff had left on Saturday night.

The stocky blonde stood silently for a time with no reaction to any form of attention getting his classmates used; he just stared off towards the garage area.

"Come on Taniguchi, spit it out big guy," Gavin said with a hint of left over anger in his tone.

"I came in today to find out just when the last time any of you lost was, because I can't stand being talked down at, I can't take knowing that everyone here see's me as a mark of what NOT to do," Mikio half yelled at his classmates.

"I lost a challenge just before Fujiwara-sensei recruited me," Gavin replied first, "Hell I was practicing to get better when he chased me down in a 4AGZE powered AW11. I felt like I had lost all over again."

"I haven't raced in a true challenge in nearly a year, Reiko is the number one driver in our pair," Tatsuo said with a slight chuckle, "She's just plain faster than I am, and I know it too, which is why I use her as my marker."

"Well I guess that leaves me to explain things about the last loss our team suffered," Reiko said fiddling with her black curly hair nervously, "I lost my last race to Gavin two months before Fujiwara-sensei and Takahashi-sensei came to Akagi to recruit for the class, kinda hate to say it but I wanted to kill him when I saw him again."

"Well I lost about two weeks ago, to Reiko," Nika said with a nervous chuckle, "I felt so stupid for even trying to race her after it was over with, but I took what I saw and am using it to get faster, so it wasn't all bad."

"Mr. Taniguchi, everyone loses, it's what we do to learn from the loss and how we get back into feeling comfortable with new things that makes us as drivers grow. Taking advice and putting it to practice is the best way to grow," Takumi said with a calm tone as the rest of the students nodded in agreement.

"I'm sorry to inform you that I'm not what you're looking for and I will be dropping out of the school," Mikio said with a low bow before turning around and leaving before a response could be given.

Takumi broke the resulting silence after processing the information for a moment.

"Alright… Let's get back to it, you'll be driving the trainer cars today so don't expect too much and since Mikio-kun has left you'll be driving two at a time against one another," Takumi said before pointing to Gavin and Reiko, "You two will go first and remember you wreck my cars you're going to pay for them."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As the aurora white 1967 Mazda Cosmo with Gavin at the wheel and the amethyst 1987 Toyota MR2 driven by Reiko lined up on the course. Tatsuo and Nika were standing next to each other outside the pit lane wall as Takumi explained some of the new course layout's focus on brake control and timing.

"This reminds me of that race Reiko mentioned, those two actually got along pretty well before it, I'm not exactly sure why things fell apart after it though," Tatsuo said to whoever was around as the two trainer cars revved their engines waiting for the go.

"Well, knowing Gavin's short fuse I can see how finding out his girlfriend was a racer could be a little jarring," Nika said with a short grin.

Tatsuo nearly fell to the ground laughing at the statement causing Nika to stare at him as if he'd lost his mind instead of the two cars launching onto the course just 50 feet away. The outburst also caught the attention of Takumi and Kyoko who were at the other end of pit lane.

"What the hell is your problem?" the brown haired woman asked as Tatsuo regained his composure.

"Gavin and Reiko were never that kind of friends, but he was her tutor for a semester when he volunteered at our school a couple years ago," the black haired young man said with a wide grin, "I will admit that they got along better than anyone expected with Gavin being older and all but they were never romantically involved."

"Okay so they stayed friends after obviously since you said that race split them up," Nika said turning back to the track to see the white Cosmo sticking to the AW11's rear bumper through one of the courses countless ninety degree left hand corners.

"Yeah well Gavin was about the only person close to us that knew we were racing, I think what took him by surprise was that Reiko was nearly as fast as he was," Tatsuo replied also returning his gaze to the track as the two trainer cars entered the last hairpin set of the course the Mazda was still chasing the AW11, "Seems she's gotten faster."

On the course Gavin was fighting the urge to pass the AW11 on the front straight of this course. With the 13B's higher power it would have been easy, but the buzz cut blonde was also fighting the fact he'd beaten the girl he was chasing once before.

Reiko watched her rear view mirror and noticed that Gavin seemed to be holding back. She slammed the brakes right at the line forcing the buzz cut blonde to pass her as they went into the first right handed corner. She quickly caught the Cosmo and stuck the AW11 to its bumper as they pushed through the long two hundred and seventy degree left hander in full drift.

"Whoa, never seen that before in something with almost no horsepower," Nika said as the two cars continued a nearly leader chase style race through the next several corners, two of which were hairpin type corners.

"This almost looks like the race in Akagi between those two, Reiko was out in front till one of the last hairpins, I guess she lost traction or something cause they came out of it side by side, Gavin just had more power and won, but she put up a hell of a fight till the end," Tatsuo said calmly his eyes pinned on the two cars as they flew through a right handed hairpin that lead into a sharp left hander, "Reiko never even slowed down after she crossed the finish line, still don't know why."

"You saw the way she reacted to Gavin accepting the challenge from Mikio, so maybe she does like him on a more than a friend level," Nika replied quietly as the Cosmo made a slight mistake and lost the lead during the sharp zigzag section of the course.

"I don't doubt that unfortunately," the black haired man said looking towards Reiko in the AW11 as she flew through the longest straight of the course, "Before you ask why I say unfortunately, it's because of our family, yeah they liked Gavin well enough, but he wasn't and still isn't the kind of person they want associated with them in a… well a marital way."

The white Cosmo managed to stay on the AW11's bumper as they flew through the two hairpin corners that led into a long right hand corner. During the long corner Gavin cut to the outside and floored the pedal in the little 13B powered Cosmo and managed to get side by side with the AW11 as they came into the next straight before both of them had to slam on the brakes for the ninety degree left hander, Gavin held his line just long enough and flew into the lead snaking into Reiko's line, forcing her to hit the brakes even harder and fall behind.

'_Too close for comfort that time Gavin,' _the buzz cut blonde thought as he forced the Cosmo through the next two hard corners, _'She's gonna kill me for that.'_

The AW11 managed to re-close the gap slightly as Reiko floored the pedal through the short straight, but it wasn't enough to catch up before the lap ended, Reiko had once again lost to Gavin.

"Well I'm not sure I'd call that fair, but it was clean so, Gavin you've beaten me yet again," Reiko said as she climbed out of the AW11 after they were parked.

"I'm up for a few more laps," Gavin said with a chuckle as he climbed from the Cosmo seemingly soaked with sweat, "If you want to do it again some time."

"No more for you two, head in grab some water and something to eat from the vending machines while we get the cars set up for Nika-chan and Tatsuo-kun's run," Takumi said with a passive tone, "Should take about twenty minutes so no need to rush."

The students bowed slightly before heading in for lunch. Gavin was walking towards the back of the group with Tatsuo as the two ladies led the way.

"So why did you snake her line?" Tatsuo asked point blank as they walked.

"Only way I could win and she was determined to do the same, no one saw it, but she tapped me coming out of that corner, completely accidental of course, but I think she panicked and went a little harder on the brakes because of it," Gavin responded quietly as to avoid alerting any of the staff that were around.

"Really? I didn't even hear anything," the black haired man responded with a shocked tone.

"Tatsuo the only reason I know is I saw a little bit of paint on the chrome bumper of the Cosmo, my money says she doesn't even realize it," the buzz cut blonde said as the two men stepped into the air conditioned building, "Don't tell her either, might rattle her and neither of us want that right now."

After about twenty minutes of sitting in the cool building Takumi came in with Wataru and Kyoko following close behind him. None of them looked very happy about something.

"Reiko Sasaki, you are going to be paying for a new front bumper on the AW11," Wataru said with an ice cold tone.

"No she won't, I'll pay for it, it was my fault," Gavin said without looking towards the teachers, "I snaked her line, she tapped me because of it meaning I'll deal with the damages to either car."

"What are you talking about I didn't hit anything!?" Reiko exclaimed in a panicked tone as she jumped out of her chair.

"Yeah, you did Reiko, I didn't even notice it till the end of the run, I saw paint on the chrome, didn't think there was any damage to the AW11 though so I didn't see fit to mention it," the buzz cut blonde said as he placed a hand on the black haired girl's shoulder.

"Either way, the facing of the bumper is cracked and the mounting point on the passenger side is messed up," Wataru said with his tone unchanged, "So as per the rule stated by Takumi before the run, the driver of the car pays to have it repaired."

"We do allow you to pay when you can, until then the repairs will be completed on the school's dime," Takumi added with a glare back at Wataru.

"I don't mean to sound disrespectful Akiyama-sensei, but that's a load of crap, I'm responsible for it so I'll pay for it and honestly if the school's paying for it anyway, why do the students have to pay out for the repairs?" Gavin asked with a hint of true anger in his tone.

Tatsuo put a hand on Gavin's shoulder to try and calm him down; it didn't seem to have any effect as the buzz cut blonde simply shrugged it off.

"Mr. Reynolds, you raise a valid point, this was meant as a joke at first, but it would seem Akiyama-sensei has gone a step too far, Ms. Sasaki will not be charged for the damages, though it is nice to know you would easily take responsibility for any action," Kyoko said with a calm tone and a half smirk.

"I happen to know I was the cause of the damage, if it had been Taniguchi I wouldn't have argued the point," the buzz cut blonde said with the anger still half in his tone before he walked out the main door.

Tatsuo and Nika were in the middle of their race in the trainer cars as Gavin and Reiko stood at the opposite end of the pit lane from the staff.

"Did I really hit you?" Reiko asked as she turned her back to the track and leaned on the guardrail between them and the pit boxes.

"Seems that way, all I know is the Cosmo's bumper had some amethyst paint on it and the AW11 is amethyst in color, my guess it was only a scratch though," Gavin replied still watching the two trainer cars going through the course trading places once in a while, "Don't worry about it, neither of us felt any of it so it couldn't have done that much."

As Tatsuo and Nika finished up their laps Nika slipped up in the AW11 and lost the lead at the last hairpin allowing Tatsuo the win. The class was talking over a few things, including the little bump between Reiko and Gavin while Takumi, Keisuke and the other staff members sorted through some of the lap times.

"I think that Reiko laid down the best lap time on the second lap, it's probably Tatsuo and then Gavin after that, I can say for myself I felt a little sluggish in that AW11," Nika said as she tapped her hands on the guardrail.

"We all felt a little out of place, so we're all probably slower than Fujiwara-sensei's lap time from when he drove the Cosmo last month," Gavin said with a serious tone, "I can almost guarantee that if it weren't for me snaking Reiko's line I probably wouldn't have won."

"Yeah, let's not do the lap time comparison on our first time driving the trainers," Tatsuo said while leaning against the guardrail next to his sister.

The conversation slowly died out as Takumi and Keisuke both approached the students, the spiky blonde haired man having an impressed look on his face.

"It seems that Gavin and Reiko managed the fastest lap time, Reiko's second lap and Gavin's third lap time match, Nika this puts you in second from your third lap time against Tatsuo's second lap," Keisuke said with a slight chuckle at the surprised looks on the student's faces, "All of you somehow managed to get very close to Fujiwara-sensei's time for the Cosmo laps as well."

"You're dismissed for the day, go home and rest for a few days, we'll be retuning the trainers over the next two, if you wish you can come in and practice on the track any time during normal hours," Takumi said before the class began moving.

"Reiko, how about you and me go down Akagi together one last time?" Gavin asked as he and the other students walked towards their cars.

"I'll see you there Saturday at 10 o'clock, just don't hold back like you did on the track today," Reiko said with a chuckle before she stepped into her SE3P and drove out of the parking area, Tatsuo and Nika close behind her.

The rest of the week passed pretty slowly, Gavin and Tatsuo went to the school for a few practice runs on the braking course in their own cars and they also spent a couple hours tuning Gavin's FD3S.

"So why do this?" Tatsuo asked as the two men worked under the hood of the toreador red machine, "I mean why race Reiko again?"

"Because, I'm getting bored with all this track time, Nika is great as an uphill opponent, but Reiko and I have raced before, she drove off last time if you don't recall," Gavin replied without even looking up from his engine, "Thought maybe this time I'd actually get an answer as to why."

"So you'll just chase her if she runs off again?" the black haired young man said with a chuckle, "With her skills you know that will be difficult."

"Nope just planned on blocking the exit if I cross the line first," the buzz cut blonde chuckled as his dog tags fell from his shirt and hit the fender of the FD for the third time in the hour, "If she runs again, I'll ask next time we're here."

"Would you just take those things off?" Tatsuo said as he reached for the dog tags around Gavin's neck.

Gavin quickly reached up and grabbed Tatsuo's wrist and twisted it slightly causing the black haired man to wince at the sharp and sudden pain.

"I don't take them off, maybe someday I'll tell you why," Gavin said with a chuckle as he let go of Tatsuo's wrist.

The two young men went back to work on the FD as Wataru and Kyoko continued their work on the trainer cars.

An hour or so before the race approached Gavin was at the top of Mt. Akagi laid out on the hood of his car watching the clouds roll by as the quiet rumblings of distant thunder could be heard. The sounds of tires screaming and engines revving through the gears began to fill the night air as teams and loners alike came out for practice before the main events. The buzz cut blonde simply closed his eyes and blocked out all the noise.

"You see that guy over there on the hood of the FD, he's been here for nearly an hour and it looks like he's been asleep most of it," a dye bright red haired young man said pointing towards Gavin.

A flash of lighting filled the sky with light for a split second before a loud crack of thunder boomed through the mountainside. Everyone scrambled to find cover as the rain began pouring from the sky but the buzz cut blonde remained laid out on the carbon fiber hood of the toreador red FD.

"Geez, how can he just lay there?" the bright red haired man asked no one in particular while pulling his coat's hood over his head.

A few minutes later two SE3Ps pulled into the parking area, followed by a pearl blue Z33 as the other people began clearing off the course for the races to start at ten o'clock. The blonde man that had been the focus of several conversations got off his hood and moved the FD towards the starting line next to the harvest gold SE3P.

"Oh shit he's going against Reiko Sasaki, who is this guy?" the bright red haired man asked the empty space around him.

"He's one of her classmates," a stocky blonde young man said with a red Lan-Evo III sitting behind him replied with a smirk, "You should find a radio; I can promise this will be an interesting race, I've gone against both of them."

Back over where the two cars were lined up people were discussing rules and start times.

"Look we have a few minutes, let's load up and get everything set up, Nika you and I will wait at the bottom of the course," Tatsuo said calmly to the brown haired woman who was holding an umbrella, "We'll call up when we get down."

Everyone around the two cars seemed to disperse to the road sides as ten o'clock got closer and closer. A radio call came up from the bottom ten seconds before the countdown started, and the rain got worse.

"You want to postpone?" Gavin asked before he and Reiko got into their cars.

"Are you afraid of the rain Gavin?" Reiko asked as she climbed into her SE3P.

Gavin shook his head and climbed into his FD and watched as the countdown began right on time.

"FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE…..GO!" The starter shouted as he dropped his hand.

Gavin and Reiko tore off down the track slinging enough water to drench the poor guy from head to toe. The FD managed to edge out the lead before the first hairpin and slid through it using the wet track to his advantage as his windshield wipers became ineffective against the pouring rain.

'_Damn, this rain is going to kill me,' _Gavin thought as he powered through the next right hander, _'I'll have to do this the fun way I guess.'_

Gavin reached up and turned off the windshield wipers during the short straight, he also reached down and grabbed a pair of yellow tinted sunglasses and put them on just before the braking point for the right handed u-turn. Reiko was hot on his tail just barely able to see his braking lights through the rain.

'_I may have been wrong about this run,' _Reiko thought as she powered through the rain soaked course close enough to the FD to smell its exhaust.

As they flew through the third hairpin the two cars were still bumper to bumper, the toreador red FD running with its windshield wipers off and the harvest gold SE3P and its driver searching for a way to pass.

"They just flew by, Sasaki-chan can't possibly see between all the water the FD is throwing up and what's coming down, but she's on its bumper none the less," a woman shouted into a radio as the two cars flew into the hairpin before the first straight.

As the pair reached the first long stretch of the course Gavin laid the hammer down and opened up a gap between the two cars before braking through the left hand corner and letting out just enough to slide through the following hairpin.

"They're through the first fast section the FD's got its windshield wipers off," a man shouted into his radio, "Reiko lost some ground."

Reiko and her SE3P managed to just catch up to the FD when the multiple s-turns came into sight and Gavin once again opened the gap.

"Geez these two are flying, even though it's pouring down rain it seems like they're on a record setting pace," someone at the bottom of the mountain said excitedly.

'_I don't know what you two are thinking, but do come down in one piece,' _Nika thought as she stood under her umbrella next to the finish line while Tatsuo was sitting on his hood in the rain.

The pace of the race began to slow slightly as the pair approached the three hairpins before the final set and the lightning began to fill the sky more often. Gavin slammed on the brakes for a moment before sliding through the first of the hairpins with Reiko's front fender only a foot and a half away from his passenger door.

"Alright then, this is where I can be stupid and floor it and walk away from her, or do it smart and wait," Gavin said just before swinging into the next hairpin corner.

Reiko saw the FD slide just a little more than it should as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky, she took advantage of it and slid through the inside line that Gavin's mistake had left wide open. As they came out of the hairpins Reiko had the lead going into the second set of multiple s-turns before the final hairpins.

"The SE3P took the lead in the next to last hairpin set, the FD is right on its tail though," a voice rang through the radio at the bottom of the mountain causing some of the crowds to cheer out.

"Way to go Reiko," Tatsuo said to himself, as the reports continued to come from each point along the corner.

'_Can't lose here again, I have to stay in front,'_ Reiko thought as she came to the last hairpins.

The first two hairpins Reiko managed to keep the lead without much trouble, Gavin was keeping up but couldn't find an opening. Going into the last hairpin of the set Gavin spotted a difficult opening on the outside line, but he tried it anyway. The two cars once again came out of the corner side by side and with Gavin having just a bit more horsepower he was once again able to slide ahead just before the final corner of the course.

As they crossed the line Reiko slammed the brakes early as Gavin turned his driver's door to face her front bumper.

"You aren't running again Reiko," Gavin said as he climbed out of the window of his FD, "I want to know one thing, why you ran last time."

Reiko was still in a shocked state at the maneuver Gavin pulled right in front of her, but she climbed from the SE3P, and she was angry as all hell.

"What in the hell are you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed with that little stunt!" the black haired young woman screamed as she slammed her car door shut.

"A chance I was willing to take to find out why you ran last time we raced this mountain," the buzz cut blonde said in a normal tone, "And my car won't move till I have that answer."

Tatsuo tapped Gavin on his rain drenched shoulder as a red Lan-Evo III came into the lower parking area followed by a few other cars.

"That loud mouth just had to show up tonight," Gavin said shaking his head, "Reiko you aren't leaving, Tatsuo make sure she doesn't," the buzz cut blonde added with a serious tone.

"Interesting night to race wouldn't you say Reynolds?" the stocky blonde asked as he stepped into the rain, "What's with the yellow glasses?"

"Glare reduction Taniguchi, and this rain makes me wonder what a coward like you is doing out in this weather," the buzz cut blonde said with a confident smirk as he took the yellow tented sunglasses off and hooked them to his collar.

"I'll have you know I heard about a race tonight, thought it would be interesting, it started raining after I arrived, nice win by the way," Mikio said with a slight chuckle, "Look I've been practicing, maybe not as hard as you guys, but one day I'll challenge all of you."

The stocky blonde didn't wait for a response before turning around and leaving the parking area. Thunder once again boomed through the pass as the storm continued. The crowds began to thin out from the mountain eventually leaving just the students of Ryosuke's school sitting at the bottom of the mountain.

"Alright Reiko, its time you answered my question. Why did you run after our last race?" Gavin asked leaning against his rain soaked car as the storm began to finally die out a small amount.

"I ran because it may not have been the first loss I've been through, but it was the first by someone I thought was a friend," Reiko said quietly, "I was hurting is all."

Gavin stepped up and hugged the black haired young woman to Tatsuo and Nika's surprise.

"I was still your friend, at least I tried to be but you wouldn't exactly let me," the buzz cut blonde said with a chuckle, "Look it's barely after ten o'clock, let's you and I go somewhere out of the rain and talk."

"I'll cover for you with Mom and Dad, so you don't get into trouble," Tatsuo said taking the last few steps towards his car, "Nika you can go where ever you like but we need to go while the weather is light."

As Tatsuo and Nika left and went their separate ways, Reiko and Gavin moved their cars and found an open place even though it was the middle of the night and talked for a while before going their own separate ways.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

When Tatsuo and Nika arrived at the school they saw a 2000 Mazda RX-7 painted in vivid blue, its carbon fiber hood and the spoiler mounts were the only things on the whole car that weren't blue.

"Who do you think this belongs to?" Nika asked as she walked around the car a couple times.

"Well unless Gavin did a full overhaul on his body kit and painted it in two days, I don't think this is his," Tatsuo replied as he too stared at the mystery machine, "Think it could be Takahashi-sensei's, I mean Kyoko-san's?"

"No Takahashi-sensei's is black and parked over by the maintenance bay," Nika answered looking in the window of the car, "Even the racing seats in this thing are blue."

Gavin and Reiko pulled in and joined the other two by the mystery FD. The students were unaware that all of the teachers were watching along with the tall blonde haired man who had driven the car to the school.

"Seems your students are trying to figure out whose car that is Takumi-kun," the blonde man said with a chuckle.

"And how long are you going to be in Japan David?" Keisuke asked as they continued to watch.

"I'm only here for a few days, my wife didn't even come with me for this trip," David asked smiling at the students.

"Too bad, still you're welcome to come to dinner any time," the spiky bleach blonde said with a slight grin, "You should run a few laps if you've got time, it should be easy enough on the current lay out."

Back outside Gavin and Tatsuo were about to pull the pins out of the carbon fiber hood to sneak a peek at the engine when the sound of footsteps and the voices of the staff stopped them.

"If you like, you can give it the tune up I requested," the older blonde man in a black business suit said not introducing himself.

"I don't think we have a right to Sir, not without our Sensei's approval," Tatsuo said respectfully.

"You and this young lady drove up in a pair of SE3Ps, your blonde haired friend here came up in an FD, that gives you just as much right as I have I would think, especially with the car not really belonging to me," The older blonde man said with a slight chuckle while gesturing towards Reiko and Gavin, "Though if you insist, Takumi-kun the permission is yours to give."

Takumi chuckled at his student's eyes getting larger at the prospect of checking out the car and all its mysteries as well as this seemingly American man's use of their teacher's given name with such a casual tone.

"I guess I have to introduce you to Crandon-san," Takumi said with a chuckle, "Students this is David Crandon, an old friend of Project D when we were still running the mountain passes and also a manager for one of the corporate sponsors for our little school here."

The tall blonde returned the students' bow before he stepped to the car and climbed in. Tatsuo opened the garage door as Gavin and Reiko walked beside the slow moving vivid blue FD. As the three made quick work of changing out the spark plugs and wires, Nika seemed to stand apart and simply stared at the aggressive looking machine. Once the class was finished David removed his tie and jacket passing them to Kyoko to hold, and moved the FD to the starting line where a new computer controlled lap timer was on either side of the track.

"Guess they had that put in while they were retuning the trainers," Gavin said just before the 13B-REW of the blue FD screamed onto the track with a bit of smoke from the tires.

As the FD began its trek it was obvious only to the Takumi and Keisuke that the blonde at the wheel had lost some of his adaptability as the car slid through the first right hand corner and part of the way through the following open left hander. As David flew through the wide left handed u-turn he had gotten half a feel for the car and was gaining on Takumi's standing start lap time.

"Must be rusty," Keisuke chuckled thinking about the stories he'd heard about the Purple Shadow's top drivers.

"That and he's never driven that car or this course," Takumi said while his eyes stayed pinned to the FD as it pushed through the two hundred seventy degree right handed loop corner and slid through the left u-turn right after it.

On the course David was having a hard time controlling the wild blue machine, it either wanted to slide too much or not at all as he passed through the long corners of the throttle course. To the students this was an exciting show as they watched the new car fly though the right handed hairpin corner.

As David approached the v-shaped left hander the FD turned sideways, its nose just ever so slightly chasing after its tail, as the car lined up with the exit it simply squatted down and flew away from the corner leaving smoke trails as its tires struggled to grip the road again.

"If I catch any of you students trying that in the trainers or your own cars you'll be restricted to track side for a week," Keisuke said seriously noticing a smirk on Gavin and Tatsuo's faces.

"Keisuke, I don't think he meant to do that this time," Takumi said under his breath, "Last time I saw that he was a lot steadier on his exit."

_'Did not expect that to work,'_ David thought as he flew down the straight after the v-turn.

The FD slowed as David pulled his foot off the throttle at the start of the left hand corner at the end of the straight. He kept his foot in the air till he was through first part of the next right hander before he floored the throttle sliding the tail out just a little and hanging on through the rest of the corner leading into the last straight of the course.

"He's a little off the pace your Honda set Takumi, but he might make it up now that he's had a lap to practice," Wataru said looking at the lap time board next to him.

As the next lap progressed a change in driving style was obvious to anyone who had seen the first lap, it was much smoother and only a half second behind the pace of the lap time Takumi set in his Honda. The FD slid less and opened its throttle sooner through most of the long corners. As it approached the v-turn this time it simply nose dived before the corner as the tail flew out and once again squatted down and launched the car down the course.

"He's only a half second behind you Takumi, he keeps this up your students will have a new goal to hit," Wataru said before the sound of screaming tires and the smell of burnt rubber drew all of their attentions to the course.

David had turned the car around and was driving at a snail's pace compared to his earlier speeds. As the FD came off the course, Gavin closed the track gates while the other students and the staff followed the vivid blue machine to its parking space.

"That was fun, but if I went for another lap the owner of this machine may not have gotten her FD back in one piece," David said calmly as he stepped from the car.

"Why, was something wrong Crandon-san?" Takumi asked sounding a little concerned for the car more than its driver.

"Yeah, I nearly blew the tires on the first lap, I'm good at switching cars but the girl who owns this thing has a sick sense of humor in her settings," the taller blonde responded with a chuckle, "That little stunt at the v-turn was not what I wanted to do, but it worked so I won't complain too much."

"You can't be serious, I've never seen someone drive that way first shot in a car," Gavin said completely forgetting his manners, "I'm amazed that you'd be willing to try it first time is all Sir."

"Well, if you think I'm joking young man, ask Takumi-kun here just what I did with one of his friends cars in Akina," David said gaining a serious tone before looking at his watch and collecting his tie and suit jacket from Kyoko, "Keisuke I'll do what I can to get to your place for dinner, but I've got a meeting to get to, I'll call you a bit later to say if I'm coming for sure or not."

Without waiting for a response, just as quickly as it showed up, the vivid blue FD left tread marks on the pavement as it flew out of the parking area.

"Alright, let's get to it then. Ms. Mahara you've got the Cosmo, Ms. Sasaki you're in the AW11 this time," Keisuke said as he and the other staff walked back to the track.

Several hours and a whole ton of laps by each of the students later Keisuke and Takumi noticed some clouds on the horizon and called them in for the day.

"Alright, you're done for today, I've got two things to say, one when we have visitors, don't gawk at their cars," Keisuke said rousing a chuckle from everyone, "And I'm glad to say that I've seen a lot of improvements in your driving, now get out of here before the rain the weather man was calling for comes."

"Sir, why don't we practice in the rain? Most of us have raced in it before so why don't we do that here?" Gavin asked before anyone could move towards their cars.

"Mainly because at this point in time we don't have the cars set up for the rain, and we also don't have the race grade wet tires we want for such practice sessions," Keisuke said before he turned back towards the main building, "Once we have those we'll start practicing in the rain."

Later that night at Akina the rain had stopped but the roads were still wet as four cars filed their way to the top of the pass, a red FD leading the way. As they arrived at an old radio tower, all four cars pulled into the pull off area.

"Well who is riding with whom tonight?" Gavin asked as the other drivers gathered around.

"I'll ride with Nika, maybe I can finally have a woman to woman talk about some things with her," Reiko said with a laugh as she climbed into the pearl blue Z33 sitting just behind the group.

"Guess that leaves you with me Tatsuo, whose car do you want to go in?" Gavin said chuckling as Nika climbed into her car.

"Let's take yours, maybe I can learn a thing or two watching you drive, I still don't know how you go downhill with that monster under the hood," Tatsuo responded scratching his head.

As the two men climbed into the red FD the two women of the group were already a third of the way down the mountain, the Z33 making good time despite its heavy body and over powered engine.

"I can guarantee that my tires won't last more than a couple runs, I wasn't really planning on still having this set by the end of the day," Nika said as she maneuvered the car through a corner.

"It's not that big a deal, I just got tired of riding with Tatsuo and we never have gotten to know each other," Reiko responded with a small chuckle.

"Well there really isn't much to tell," the brown haired young woman said slowing down to a safer speed at which to hold a conversation at, "That and I really don't like talking about the typical girly things."

"Well, when is your birthday?" the black haired girl asked reaching for her phone, "For my phone, so I know."

"It's only a few days away, 21 at long last," Nika said with a quiet chuckle after several minutes and two of the five hairpins later.

Only a few corners behind the Z33 the FD was quickly catching up to the slower vehicle. Gavin had just steered through left hander before the five hairpins and was laying the hammer down.

"I guess we're not going to catch the girls before we hit the bottom," Tatsuo said as he grabbed anything he could to stabilize himself in the FD's passenger seat.

"We might if Reiko is intent on having that girl talk," Gavin responded during one of the short straights between hairpins.

When the toreador red machine cleared the last hairpin Gavin floored it once again in a vain attempt to catch the other car. Once they did reach the bottom Nika and Reiko were poised and ready to hit the course.

"Should have known he'd try and catch us," Reiko said with a chuckle before the blue Z33 launched onto the uphill of Mt. Akina.

The toreador red FD turned around in the lower parking area and launched back onto the course and began chasing down the pearl blue Z33. As the two cars re-entered the five hairpins the red FD began drifting through each corner with an appearance of ease even though behind in this impromptu race.

"Gavin is showing off back there," Reiko said with a chuckle watching the headlights of the other car flash in and out of the mirror on her side of the car.

"Think he's getting impatient?" Nika asked with a chuckle as they continued their upward trek.

"I think he would have already passed if he were," the black haired girl said somewhat seriously, "Besides, we just came up here for a little fun since there aren't any teams out here anymore."

A few moments later the red FD took a better line through one of the corners and passed the pearl blue Z33, but Gavin did not pull away all at once.

"Alright, now he's just showing off right?" Nika asked as they flew through the following corners.

"Actually I think he's trying to show you what to do," Reiko said hesitantly as they watched the car go from one rougher style of cornering to a smoother one, "Try mimicking him and see if it feels faster."

Nika mimicked what she saw as best she could even without knowing exactly what the pedals of the FD were doing, but it did feel much faster. At each different corner the brown haired girl mimicked what the FD did and she was finding it much easier to keep pace with the toreador red machine.

"You know he's holding back to show me all this stuff," Nika said as they cleared one of the final uphill corners.

"Well, at least you learned something tonight," Reiko with a small chuckle, "And besides, this is part of the reason we come to the mountains, to practice the stuff we're being taught at school."

"Very well done Nika, I wasn't sure you'd understand what I was up to," Gavin said as the two ladies stepped from the pearl blue Z33.

"Reiko had to explain it, I just thought you were showing off for a couple pretty girls," Nika laughed, "My tires won't last another run, so I'm headed out for the night, see you at school."

A few moments later Nika was on her way down the pass while the others stayed at Akina for the remainder of the night practicing. The next morning Reiko, Tatsuo and Nika arrived to Kyoko watching Gavin running around the throttle course at an impressive pace.

"How long has he been on the track Takahashi-sensei?" Reiko asked as she watched the car.

"This is the end of his second lap, I've only allowed him four since it's about what we had time for before class begins," Kyoko answered with a calm tone not taking her eyes off the car.

On the course Gavin was in trouble, his tires were losing grip faster than he expected and he was struggling to keep his car on any line at all because of it. As the red FD approached the two hundred and seventy degree right handed loop he spun out just barely keeping it on the track before the car came to rest its driver's side resting on the red and white markers along the outside of the corner. After a few moments Gavin caught his breath and moved the FD backwards along the track to pit lane.

"Whose time were you going for Mr. Reynolds?" Kyoko asked as the buzz cut blonde climbed from the car.

"I was trying for Crandon-san's time Takahashi-sensei," Gavin replied before sitting down and leaning back on his car, "Just couldn't get there this time."

"Well there are reasons for that," Kyoko said gaining Gavin's full attention before continuing, "With the differences between your driving style and his, the suspension layouts of the two cars had an effect as well as your lines, but the biggest part was as you well know your tires were shot by the third lap."

"Well I'll make sure I get a new set before I leave then," Gavin said laying his head back on the FD's door.

"First you'll be getting your FD off the course and into the AW11 Mr. Reynolds," Keisuke's voice came from just behind Kyoko, "Mr. Sasaki you'll be in the Cosmo today and you'll all have radios while you're doing your laps from now on."

"Why is that?" Nika asked leaning against the guardrail, "I mean won't that be distracting?"

"It can be at first, but it's pretty easy once you get used to it," Takumi said scratching his ear a bit, "And well, we are a racing school, so we should teach these things at some point."

"Let's get to it, I want at least two laps per student in each car today, and you've still got a lesson with Wataru and Kyoko later on," Keisuke said seriously causing everyone to scatter; the staff to their own jobs and the students to the trainer cars.

Once the school's two trainer cars were on the start line, radios were put in safe places inside the cars and Gavin and Tatsuo were helped getting the wires to comfortable places as they put the ear pieces in place. Once everything was in place, Keisuke checked the radios through the headset he had put on.

"Mr. Sasaki, I'll be your radio man for today, just say check to make sure it works," Keisuke said into the radio as Takumi checked Gavin's, "Just be sure to tell us what you feel the car doing and if something is wrong, if we give advice give it a try."

After both students had checked in Wataru gave the go and both cars launched on to the track, the Cosmo gaining a slight lead over the AW11 before they entered the first corner.

"This thing is fighting me on left hand corners," Gavin said after the long left handed u-turn, "And the brakes feel stiffer than last time I drove it."

"Alright we'll look into it after your laps, just try to hang on to it till you get done, if it gets worse pull off," Takumi said being a touch cautious about things.

Gavin managed to keep the car on the track pretty well till the v-turn after the right handed hairpin where the car simply wouldn't turn enough to clear the corner without running into the gravel on the outside.

"That's it, I'm calling this one Fujiwara-sensei" Gavin said as he pulled the car off into the gravel and shut it off.

Tatsuo stopped some distance away at Keisuke's instruction and Wataru got the new tow truck out for its first use. The students continued their laps for the day in the old Cosmo while Kyoko worked out what happened to the AW11 and Wataru put new tires on Gavin's FD and Nika's Z33.

"The SE3Ps could do with a fresh set too, but Tatsuo said to just do his sister's for now," Kyoko said from under the AW11 just before Wataru moved the Z33 out of the garage area.

Just before class was to be dismissed for the day, the students gathered track side at the instruction of Wataru and Kyoko.

"Okay the AW11 is going to need a new rack and pinion," Wataru said calmly, "We're not sure how yet, but it got pretty screwed up, until we get that fixed the 67 Cosmo is the only trainer you've got."

"For now, you're dismissed for the day, and we apologize for not having the best equipment for you to learn in," Kyoko said sounding slightly disheartened by the event.

As the students left out the staff remained at the school, Wataru went to talk with Takumi and his cousin, and Kyoko slowly made her way back into the garage area. Keisuke took notice of this and followed his wife.

"Something wrong Kyoko?" The spiky haired blonde asked when he stepped into the large garage area.

"Just wondering how I missed all that damage while staring right at it," Kyoko responded leaning against a tool box, "I inspected that car just last night before we went home."

"We were all tired, Aniki has Takumi and I writing reports on each of the students, you've been practically rebuilding these cars every other night with Wataru, so missing one thing isn't out of the ordinary," Keisuke said trying to be comforting.

"Yeah I realize but I should have caught it before it hit the track, it could have been so much worse if Reynolds-kun didn't stop," Kyoko said once again berating herself for what happened.

Keisuke and Kyoko continued to talk for a while before rejoining the rest of the staff to say good bye and leaving early to go home and rest.

The students met up at Mt. Myogi the following Saturday night since Tatsuo had gotten a call from Mikio requesting a meet there. Gavin and Nika were already there when Tatsuo and Reiko arrived, and just like always Gavin was laid across his hood like it was a bed.

"So what did Taniguchi want?" Gavin asked from his place on the FD's hood.

"A race with Nika is what he said," Tatsuo responded sounding a little skeptical.

"Well if he wants to race me, let him race me," Nika said in her normal pre-race bitchy tone, "He'll lose call me a cheater and I'll let Gavin hit him again."

"If he calls you a cheater Nika, you should be the one that hits him," Gavin said through a held back yawn.

After a few minutes of waiting around, Mikio arrived at the bottom of Myogi where Gavin agreed to start and mediate the race while Tatsuo and Reiko would wait at the top. Before Tatsuo left he gave Gavin a radio to tell them what was going on as they made the trek up.

"We're at the top, we ran into a few racers headed up, told them about a race starting so they should be off the course," Reiko said into her brother's radio.

"Alright, I'll get them ready," Gavin replied through the radio.

At the bottom of the mountain the buzz cut blonde was standing between the pearl blue Z33 and the Baja red Lan-Evo III ready to start the race, his FD idling noisily close behind.

"Alright let's get this done then, I'll catch up after the start," Gavin said before stepping out in front of the two cars.

The engines roared to life, the NISMO tuned Z33 just a little louder than the Lan-Evo, but both sounding equally angry. When Gavin dropped his arm the two cars flew by him and on to the mountain pass. By the time the buzz cut blonde got started the racers were already on the second corner.

"I'm behind, but I'll catch them near the first hair pins, if not shortly after them," Gavin said into the radio as he flew through the first corners of the mountain.

A bit further up the course Nika and Mikio were tearing into the first hairpin of the course. Nika was having no trouble keeping Mikio behind her through the straight between the hairpins. Gavin caught sight of Mikio's tail lights entering the second hairpin as he cleared the first.

"I just spotted Mikio's tails, meaning Nika is out front, how far I don't know yet," the buzz cut blonde reported as he entered the second hairpin, "I've got a little space, I'm going to punch it and catch up through this easier section."

At the top of the course a crowd had started to grow and a few racers were taking an opportunity to go down and find places to watch on before the racers got too far into the course.

"Gavin be careful when you get to the top, we've got spectators moving on the course," Tatsuo said into the radio getting a short growl in response.

Gavin caught up to the official racers and let off as they all cleared an open ninety degree left hander. Nika had a short lead and the buzz cut blonde was fighting the urge to pass Mikio. As they entered the next left hander the Lan-Evo slid off its line mid corner causing the gap between it and the leading Z33 to open further as the chasing FD braked a little harder to keep from hitting it.

"Nika is holding the lead going into the first hairpin set, I think something might actually be wrong with Mikio's car this time," the buzz cut blonde reported as he reclosed the gap.

As the three cars flew through the next hairpins the gap continued to open between the blue Z33 and the red Lan-Evo. As they cleared the last one Gavin noticed that Mikio's lines and style had changed, the Lan-Evo was smoother as it cleared the left handed corner after the hairpins.

'_Something is different, Mikio's either improved or his style really has changed mid race,' _Nika thought as she watched the car behind her while pushing the throttle closer to the floor, _'He's closed the gap a bit, time to really go then.'_

By the time the three cars arrived at the next straight piece of road a radio tree had started and Tatsuo and Reiko were hearing the play by play from the crowd around them. The Z33 was in the lead and the pace had gone up just a bit since the start.

"Nika's playing it smart, she's not trying to completely level him, but instead save her tires for the last downhill stretch," Tatsuo said quietly to his sister.

"Something is definitely wrong with the Lan-Evo Tatsuo, I don't know what it is, but it can't seem to stay on the chosen line," Gavin's voice rang out through the radio.

"Where are you Gavin, and do you think he'll make it to the end of the course?" Reiko said snatching the radio from her brother's hand.

"We're at the v-type left hander and running towards the right hander after it, and I'm pretty sure he will," Gavin replied as he drove around the right hander he described.

Nika was a car and a half ahead of Mikio when they entered the long open corners before the last hairpins. The gap widened to two and a half car lengths as the three cars reached the last hairpins thanks to Myogi being Nika's home course. Mikio was driving his Lan-Evo III as hard as he could but the gap just wouldn't close. The stocky blonde was becoming frustrated and his car was quickly getting out of his own control.

"Last hairpins coming up, I don't think Mikio is going to be too friendly about this one," Gavin said as he watched Nika fly into the first of the final hairpins.

"Won't matter much we've got a whole ton of witnesses reporting along the last section of the course," Tatsuo said with a chuckle.

Gavin blew through the last hairpin and was close on the tail of Mikio's Lan-Evo III as the three cars flew through the straight leading into the right hander. Nika still had a car length over Mikio as they entered the final downhill stretch. Nika easily blew through the final left handed corner and crossed the line just ahead of the Lan-Evo III as the FD fell behind far enough to watch the end.

"Nice win Nika, I probably would have put up a better fight if it weren't for the old tires I've got on the car right now, but I can't afford a new set yet," Mikio said quietly as he shifted his weight on his feet, "Reynolds-san, what can I do better? You followed me up."

Everyone remained quiet as the shock of hearing the oldest man in the group ask for help sunk in. Mikio simply stared at Gavin waiting for a response.

"Tatsuo, check his tires, I don't think he's making anything up this time," Gavin said staring the stocky blonde in the eye.

"He wasn't, these tires are barely good enough for traffic use, forget bad weather or racing," the black haired man said loud enough to be heard.

"Well first thing is not running on shredded tires, the other thing is doing what you should have done in the first place," Gavin said with a slight chuckle, "Coming back to the school, you've improved a lot on your own, and your personality won't let you lose."

"Well I'm not good enough for the school yet, but I swear I will be around to challenge you guys," Mikio said before turning and walking towards his car, "Oh, and Tatsuo, you're next on the list."

The next day the students pulled into the lot and were met by the staff standing on the track in front of two covered cars. Both cars, even though covered, appeared to be heavily modified and very aggressive as the fenders and spoilers pressed their shapes into the covers.

"Class, today we have an announcement for you, and two new cars for you to drive when we deem you ready, you'll each get two laps in them today and have a few days off for modifications to the trainer cars," Keisuke said firmly.

"Takahashi-sensei, what are these cars for?" Gavin asked sounding a little giddy.

"For a professional career that will start at the beginning of the Super GT season AFTER your teachers deem you ready to drive," A deep voice said from behind the class.

The class turned to see a man dressed in a tailored suit with a blue shirt standing in front of a heavily modified white FC. The FC was dressed with fixed headlights, a carbon fiber hood and spoiler on the back, almost as though it were just as tailored as the suit the man was wearing.

"Once you've improved enough to be competitive in Super GT these two cars are what you'll be driving," The man said, "I'm Ryosuke Takahashi, financial backer and founder of this school and I hope you will be my Project GT."

At the end of Ryosuke's short speech Wataru yanked the cover off of a light gold and red NSX while Kyoko pulled the cover off a blue and gold FD. The cars looked like they were ready to race in both GT500 and GT300 classes of the Super GT.

"Let's get those laps in, you'll find fire suits and helmets in all manner of sizes in the garage area. Ladies, Kyoko will show you where you can change," Keisuke said after a few moments of silence brought on by the students staring at the cars.

After about ten minutes, Gavin was sitting in the NSX getting strapped in to all the safety equipment by Wataru as Keisuke explained just what to do to start the car while Tatsuo was in the FD to his left undergoing the same treatment from Takumi and Kyoko.

"Okay, there are buttons on the steering wheel that control the radios; press, talk and release to hear our responses," Takumi said through Tatsuo's still open door receiving a simple thumbs up in response.

Just before Keisuke or Takumi closed the doors they watched as Tatsuo and Gavin started the two cars before clearing the track.

"Okay Mr. Reynolds, I'm going to be your radio man for today, as you know I drove in GT500 so I've got your car today," Keisuke said with a chuckle, "Take it slow and easy, get used to how it feels before pushing, your vision will be limited so listen to what I'm telling you about Mr. Sasaki's position on the course."

"I'm guessing he's getting the same briefing from Fujiwara-sensei then," Gavin said shifting in his seat, "Any way to move this seat back any?"

"Sorry but no, Go ahead and start your lap," Keisuke replied with a small chuckle just before the NSX launched onto the course with some wheel spin, "What happened to slow and easy Mr. Reynolds?"

As the NSX cleared the first corner the FD launched into the course with the same wheel spin. The two cars came to the second corner only a few feet apart, the right hander directly after it allowed Tatsuo to pass Gavin clean and slow along the inside before the switch to a left hander allowed Gavin to retake the lead of this slow race.

"Alright you two, no more of that," Keisuke said in a stern tone over both radios, "We'll cover passing later."

As the course took them onto the braking course for a fast left handed hairpin Gavin opened the gap and made it to the throttle course's v-turn about a hundred feet ahead of the FD. When they reached the new layout's triple hairpins the gap closed and the two men maneuvered the cars through the corners at a speed of about fifty miles per hour.

"We did say to take it slow, think they'll get braver on the last stretch?" Takumi asked right before the two engines screamed to their limits and the cars flew down the stretch, "Guess that answered that then," he added with a chuckle.

Once the two cars reached the final corner both drivers slammed on the brakes and entered pit lane and a proper speed before pulling into the boxes one behind the other.

"That will take some serious getting used to, but should be easy if we can make that seat adjustable," Gavin laughed through the radio just before he removed his helmet.

With the two men clear of the cars, Kyoko strapped both of the ladies into the vehicles, once all strapped in and with the briefing of how to start the cars done, Nika took off in the FD shortly before Reiko and the NSX. As the two made their way around the course both drivers seemed to be slower than their male classmates.

"You can pick up the pace if you like," Takumi said on a public channel.

"I can't see enough to try that Fujiwara-sensei," Nika said as she rubbed the helmet lens, "I picked up a helmet with a tented lens."

"Alright, we'll have that lens changed out by the time you come back if it's the only helmet that fits," the brown haired man said making note of it on a note pad close by.

When the two cars came back in Kyoko helped Nika out of the blue and gold RX-7 while Tatsuo helped his sister out of the red and gold NSX.

"Once you've changed you're free to leave and take about a week off so we can set up the two trainer cars to be a little more like the Super GT cars so you can get used to the feeling," Keisuke said calmly.

"Hey, before we get too far apart here, what say we meet up at my place on Thursday?" Gavin asked as he and his classmates approached their cars, "We'll have lunch; get to know each other better since we'll be teammates."

The others agreed, and the buzz cut blonde gave the address to his apartment to Nika since Reiko still remembered how to get there and they dispersed, each student going their own way for what was left of the day.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

As the week crept by each of the students had their own things to think of and do while they were off from classes. Thursday finally came and Gavin answered the door as three knocks rang through the small apartment.

"Hey Nika, no one's here just yet, but I just got off the phone with Tatsuo and he said they'll be here soon," the buzz cut blonde said before sniffing the air and running back to the kitchen with a quiet curse.

Nika entered the apartment, a small but somehow spacious one bedroom place with space for western style furniture. She could hear Gavin quietly cursing in the small kitchen.

"Something wrong?" the brown haired woman asked as she rounded the corner to see Gavin using every inch of the stove top.

"Not much, help yourself to a drink, Reiko still knows where my spare key to the place is I think, so I won't be out of the kitchen till lunch is finished," Gavin responded before turning off the appliance and removing the pans from it, "I have pan seared chicken breasts, some sweet carrots, wild rice, and I cheated a little with the steamed vegetables a bit and nuked them, hope you know how to use a knife and fork."

His light tone made Nika chuckle a bit before she decided to help him at least move the food from the not so spacious kitchen to the table.

"Why does Reiko know where your spare key is?" the brown haired woman asked on their second trip from kitchen to table.

"Tatsuo told you that I used to tutor her, once in a while she'd get here ahead of schedule and I'm not normally here if I don't have a reason to be, so she would let herself in since she was usually my first student of the day, I just never felt the need to move it," the buzz cut blonde answered honestly as he counted out the serving spoons for the side dishes.

The two heard the key turn the lock just before watching Reiko and Tatsuo come around the corner. They all greeted each other before sitting and having a quiet lunch. Nika complimented Gavin's cooking several times throughout before he got up and went to the kitchen.

"Well I hope you saved room," Gavin said as he came back to the dining area, "Because I have a cake, and it's still warm."

They all looked at the cake and Nika noticed that it read 'Happy Birthday Nika' in what icing there was on it, but before she could react her classmates started singing.

"Well there are no candles, I have an aversion to setting off smoke alarms in enclosed spaces," Gavin chuckled as he started cutting the cake, "Hope you like angel food cake Nika, we didn't know what your favorite was."

Once the cake was cut and shared with all, the classmates sat for a few moments in silence while Gavin and Tatsuo cleared the table.

"So Nika, since you're the birthday girl why don't you start? Tell us a bit about you outside of Myogi and school," Reiko said with a chuckle.

"Well I clerk part time at a bank when I'm not at the school, it's not much but it does pay the bills, and gets me a little spending money since the school covers tires and gas," Nika said rubbing her arm, "I don't do too much outside of school and work because of time, but I usually find myself a race or two in Myogi on the weekends, been doing that ever since I've had my license, also I have talent in photography."

Gavin was in the kitchen cleaning but could hear everything that was said before a loud clang from the pan he was washing slipped.

"Guess that volunteered you to go next Gavin," Tatsuo laughed.

"Well, to start off I'm a tutor as you already know and it should be pretty obvious that I enjoy cooking, I collect models of old American racing cars and I also enjoy reading tech manuals on cars and such," the buzz cut paused and put the pan down, "My Mom is a civilian, my Dad flies a fighter jet in the American air force, I live here off base, but if I'm not here I'm at their house or in Akina or now at the school, I started racing without my license so I've been at it a while, just don't recall how long. Tatsuo, you volunteered me, I'm volunteering you."

"Well you all know our family is fairly wealthy, the silk farm conglomerate our family owns has been in our family for several generations at least," the black haired young man said, "As for me I'm into computer animation, vehicle design and things of that nature, but I also enjoy the cello, both playing and hearing, I own three, one of which is a custom electric, one I built myself."

"I've heard you play that electric one before, you're great with it." Gavin said from his place in the kitchen.

"Well anyway, the front splitters and duck tail spoilers on Reiko and my RX-8s were designed by me for those cars, I am currently working on a full body kit for each of them," Tatsuo said with a slight apprehension in his tone.

"Tatsuo worries about our parents finding out about our racing, he was able to convince them the splitters would help the fuel efficiency, but a full on racing style kit might be too difficult to explain to them without telling them the whole truth," Reiko said calmly, "We've both been racing together since we got our licenses, but if our parents found out there would be no telling what they would say, they're a lot more…high strung and traditional than me and Tatsuo."

"So that leaves just you Reiko, what do you do for fun?" Nika asked enjoying this little get together more and more.

"Well, I read, draw caricatures for giggles but I also draw things that Tatsuo can animate and paint some, grandma is teaching me Origami, she says it keeps her fingers nimble," Reiko said with a slight chuckle, "Other than that it's just school and racing with Tatsuo or some challenger in Akagi and shopping when I have time."

The class sat and talked about the Super GT cars for about an hour before a knock at the door brought the conversation to an end.

"That will be my two o'clock," Gavin said looking at his watch, "Guess we'll have to call this to an end."

"Hey how about we meet up out at Usui pass later on tonight? I haven't raced there yet, I want to see what the buzz is about," Nika said as they all stood from their seats.

"Sure, we can't get there before nine though, family affair tonight, we'll try and sneak out earlier," Tatsuo said rolling his eyes a bit at the thought of dressing up.

"I'll be there, now all of you scoot I have a student at my door," Gavin said jokingly as he opened the door for them and the student on the other side.

As they walked out to the lot Nika noticed that only Tatsuo's SE3P was in the lot.

"Reiko, where is your car?" the brown haired woman asked looking around.

"Home, Tatsuo drove me here, you're going shopping with me then you can take me home," Reiko said dropping into the Z33's passenger seat before Nika could react.

"May as well go with her, she's been talking about buying you a gift all week," Tatsuo said before climbing into his car and driving off leaving Nika shocked and still standing in the parking lot before Reiko honked the horn a couple times.

Several hours later Nika was sitting in the upper parking lot of the Mt. Usui pass waiting for someone from her class to arrive. She'd seen other racers coming and going from the top lot since she arrived, but had yet to make a run herself.

The brown haired woman heard the familiar sound of a rotary coming up the pass and so far she'd not heard or seen a Mazda so she assumed it was one of her classmates. A few moments later she was proven right as Gavin's toreador red FD pulled into the small parking area.

"You'd figure after all these years they'd make this turn about big enough for more than a couple cars," Gavin said with a chuckle as he climbed from the FD, "Tatsuo called me about half way up, they'll be here as fast as they can get here, seems their older brother understands the niceties of youth and let them sneak out of the shindig."

"Just tell me I get to see Tatsuo in a tuxedo and it will be well worth the wait," Nika laughed just before her phone started ringing.

"Gonna get that?" the buzz cut blonde asked as the phone continued to ring.

Nika simply pushed the button to silence the phone and tried to continue their conversation.

"So why do you live off base instead of with your folks?" Nika asked hitting the button to silence the phone again when it started ringing again.

"I came out here because I liked it more than I did on base, my tutoring pays well enough to cover maintenance on the car and food, but Dad helps with the rent still so I end up spending most weekends on base anyway," Gavin answered seriously as the phone rang yet again, "So what about you, you on your own? The way that phone keeps ringing something must be wrong."

"I am on my own, but I don't talk with my step-mom and Dad since I moved out, least not as much as Dad wants," the brown haired woman said before answering the phone.

A few moments later she hung up without a word said, turned the phone off and threw it into the Z33's glove compartment. She stayed quiet for a few minutes before the sounds of two rotary engines joined the rest of the engines on the mountain.

"So what was that about?" Gavin asked trying to get his classmate to open up a bit, "Because obviously that wasn't a routine call."

"My step-mom wants me to come over to their house tonight, the hitch was that if I came I had to meet some guy she's been so attached to me dating," Nika replied with an angry tone not directed at anyone, "And he's a narcissistic jerk who wants a girl to be 'proper' and 'lady like' and my step-mom thinks that by some miracle by me going out with him it'll make that happen."

"Sounds like my Mom, though I don't think she's ever tried that hard, just tried to teach me to be a gentleman," the buzz cut blonde said with a chuckle.

"Well that's what Mom did, taught me to use my manners and such, she never tried to make me arm candy to some rich asshole, though she never really had the chance," the brown haired girl said slamming her hand down on the hood of her Z33, "And before you even ask Dad just takes her side in everything so even though I'm of legal age I can't get the old man to agree with me on anything if she disagrees with me."

"So what happened that made you leave? Couldn't have been some small matter," Gavin asked as their classmates pulled into the small pull off area.

"I did something that pissed off my step-mom, don't really know why it pissed her off, all I did was lock my bedroom door for the night," Nika said anger clearly building in her tone, "I didn't even have a guy in there with me, just me, Dad said I shouldn't have and I screamed a bit she screamed louder and I walked out, haven't really been back since."

"Sounds like a total bitch to me, and I don't even know the situation," Tatsuo said leaning on the hood of his SE3P.

"Well, let's get off this subject before Nika here breaks her hood," Gavin said trying to lighten the mood, "Let's hit this course. Nika if you'd like to stay behind me, I've made a run or two here, I know Reiko has as well, we'll keep you safe."

Once the cars were lined up in their proper places and the radios were all tuned to the same frequency, the FD leading the way, the four cars took off down the course keeping a reasonable pace for the first timer to follow. As they approached the fourth corner the pace had come up to an almost normal racing pace.

"Hey guys, if three Mazdas and a Nissan get to the bottom at the same time, don't challenge them, there is serious talent in that group," a guy standing off the road said into a radio, "These guys are flying."

A few corners later and the four drivers had reached a near record pace.

"Nika you okay back there?" Gavin asked as they flew through a few more corners.

"I'm still here, but if you slowed down a bit I wouldn't mind," she laughed, "Tatsuo where did you get these radios and why give them to us?"

"I've had them for a while, and why not? We started radio training at school, figured this could help us learn as well so keep them for when we race Mikio again," the black haired man responded seriously as he tailed his sister's car.

"Okay Nika we're coming up on C121, mimic me as best you can and you'll do fine," Gavin said as they came into the corner, "Tatsuo, you mimic your sister."

The four cars drifted into the corner just behind the record pace, each car mimicking the one leading it as they each hit the proper exit line.

"Well done Nika, hitting that first time isn't easy, same goes to you Tatsuo," Reiko said from between the two as they continued the trek to the bottom.

"Holy Shit! Those four cars just went through C121 like it was nothing," a man in the corner said into the radio with a stunned tone.

"Are you serious!?" a voice shouted through the radio.

"Well I should say that the FD and the silverish SE3P made it look simple, I'm guessing they have taken the corner before, but the Z33 and the RX-8 at the end seemed a little rougher, like they were taken by surprise by the one lane exit or something," the radio man said correcting himself.

More reports reached the bottom about the four mystery cars, so much so the only thing that couldn't be told was who was driving the two SE3Ps, the Z33 or the FD that was leading the pack. Everyone at the bottom was waiting for the four cars to get there, so much so that when they did arrive even though it wasn't a race at all people applauded and whistled when the four cars came to a stop.

"Who are you guys?" A bright red haired man asked from the hood of a green S13, "Because it seems you've scared my team off the course for the night."

"We're Project GT, and if you'd like to race we're ready," Reiko said before anyone could react.

"We know better than to get into a race with someone we couldn't possibly beat, but I have a question to ask," the red haired man said with a serious tone, "Just how much of that talent were you using?"

"I was going at about sixty percent I think, I'm not sure about my teammates though," Gavin answered for himself only.

"Whoa, to put the times you did down at sixty percent! I'm definitely staying out of a race with you guys; feel free to run the course any time you like though," the red haired man said with a hint of amazement in his tone, "We're the Usui Sparks by the way."

The newly named Project GT stayed at the bottom parking area for a long while just talking with the members of the Usui Sparks. Nika dug her phone out of the Z33's glove compartment and turned it back on to six missed calls, two voice messages, and several text messages all from her step mother.

"Tatsuo, would you or Gavin like to do me a favor?" The brown haired girl asked staring at the phone.

"Gavin make sure Reiko gets home, I'll take this one," Tatsuo said with a chuckle, "I don't want to walk back into that party just yet."

Gavin gave a salute and led Reiko to her car and opened the door for her. Tatsuo and Nika watched on with a chuckle as the two cars filed out of the parking area with a couple other cars.

"He can be a gentleman if he wants," Tatsuo said shaking his head.

"Well you're seeing me to my Dad's house since you accepted the favor," Nika said with a chuckle, "Hate to be on short notice, but for tonight you're my date."

Tatsuo didn't have time to react before Nika was driving out of the lot. The black haired man jumped in his car and caught up while putting in his ear piece for the radio, and though he was sure he wouldn't get a response if he used it, he tried anyway. When they arrived at their destination Tatsuo quickly grabbed Nika's arm before she could get too far from her car.

"Okay tried the radio before, that didn't work, but you will be telling me why there were three cars already here," Tatsuo said with a hint of concern in his tone.

"Remember what Gavin and I were talking about when you pulled up?" Nika asked wiggling her arm to make the black haired man let go.

"A locked door and your step-mom being pissed off," Tatsuo answered leaning against the Z33, "Got there a little late to hear all the details."

"Well in that case, she's probably got some rich guy in there and that's his car," Nika said with a hint of hatred in her tone, "You're here to help me make her back off."

"Well that's enough for now, I'll get the rest later on," the black haired man said offering an arm to his 'date'.

After a brief wait at the door Nika's step-mom opened the door and was genuinely surprised that Nika had a man with her.

"Who are you?" the woman asked not letting them into the small house, "And why are you here with Nika?"

"I'm Tatsuo Sasaki, I'm Nika's boyfriend, figured this would be a nice night to meet her father," Tatsuo responded politely, "She never mentioned a woman of the house though."

Nika held her tongue even though she wanted to laugh her head off at the older woman's astounded look. She was also surprised at how adept Tatsuo was at covering his emotions.

"Look, I came to see Dad, so you need to get out of the way," Nika finally said once she was able.

"Can't you ever be nice you little brat?" the woman asked before stepping out of the door way, "He's in the kitchen."

"I am nice, you're just too big a bitch to see it," Nika replied practically dragging Tatsuo behind her.

Once in the house Tatsuo noticed that Nika's step-mother was eyeing him up and down and even though he was wearing a polo shirt and slacks he felt slightly under dressed. As they got to the kitchen they saw Toshiyuki Mahara, Nika's well built and graying father, talking with someone Tatsuo knew.

"Tatsuo-sempai, it's been a long time," The young man said with a happy chuckle.

"Certainly has been, where are you living these days? Sorry to hear about your Dad too by the way," Tatsuo said hugging the man.

"Over in Tokyo for the most part and as far as Dad goes, I'm just happy he went peacefully," the young main said quietly.

"You know him Tatsuo-kun?" Nika's step mother asked from the kitchen door with every bit of surprise in her tone as shown on Nika's face.

"Yeah, well I know a lot of folks," Tatsuo said in a passive tone, "But him I've known since we were ten and eleven I think."

"Hey if I had known I was poaching your girl Tatsuo-sempai I'd have never tried," the young man said with a laugh.

"Well you are, and you and I should leave, I have a feeling things are about to get very loud here," the black haired man said laughing as well.

"You can't do that!" Nika's step mother shouted, "She's supposed to marry you!"

"Mahara-san, no offence to you, but Tatsuo-sempai and I have more time together than your step-daughter and I, and also I owe him," the young man said before stepping past her, "I have no connection to you at all so please leave me be from now on."

"Nika, I'll be outside if you need back up," Tatsuo said leaving the two angry women in the kitchen together, he chuckled quietly when he noticed Nika's father sneaking out of the kitchen himself.

Meanwhile at the Sasaki house Reiko and Gavin were sitting outside in the driveway talking.

"So why didn't you chase me after that race in Akagi a few months back?" Reiko asked looking towards the star lit sky.

"Why did you really run?" Gavin said dodging the question.

"You know why, you hated winning that race just as much as I did losing it," the black haired young woman said laying back onto Gavin's hood, "I thought you were going to let me win because of how we felt about each other."

"I told you long before that if we ever raced I would do my very best," the buzz cut blonde replied with a cold tone, "But you aren't wrong, I did hate winning against you Reiko."

"What do you think my parents would say if they saw us out here like this?" the black haired girl chuckled leaning on her elbows.

Gavin shrugged and laid down next to her on the hood of his car, Reiko quietly moved closer and wrapped an arm around the blonde's chest and laying her head on his shoulder, to which the buzz cut blonde didn't react at all.

"So this is why you never came in?" A voice came from the left of the FD, one attached to a taller black haired man wearing a tux, "Well enjoy it while it lasts, Mom is pissed Reiko and she's waiting in the study for you."

"Do you always have to be the bearer of bad news Aniki?" Reiko asked as she crawled off the hood of the FD and headed into the house.

"I'm just a messenger Imoto, Gavin you'd better go before Momdecides to come after you…again," the man said with an uncomfortable chuckle before following Reiko into the house.

"Thanks for the heads up Raiden," the buzz cut blonde said getting only a small wave as acknowledgement of being heard.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

As the students arrived at the track after nearly a week off they saw that the AW11 had a new spoiler and a few other body modifications to it. Takumi and Keisuke were waiting trackside with the other staff members and a new woman that none of them had met.

"Welcome back, as you can see we upgraded the AW11 slightly so we could get a bit more horsepower out of it, it will now put out a bit over 200 horses," Keisuke said as the students approached the cars, "For the sake of sanity we also hired on a second lady as you've noticed, she is here to help strap Reiko and Nika into their cars when she's not working as the school's primary secretary."

"You also have permanent car assignments now, Ms. Sasaki and Mr. Reynolds will be assigned to the AW11, Ms. Mahara and Mr. Sasaki that leaves you two in the Cosmo," Takumi said looking to the brown haired lady next to him, "And since Keisuke forgot to introduce her, this is my wife Natsuki Fujiwara, she's not a teacher but please show her the same respect you've shown the rest of the staff."

Gavin quietly raised his hand just to head height before being noticed.

"Yes Mr. Reynolds, what is your question?" Takumi asked bringing attention to the buzz cut blonde.

"Why have we been assigned to the cars now? Why not just keep us switching cars, or have them assigned before now?" Gavin asked politely.

"Simply because before the GT cars arrived we did not know what we would have as far as their drive train layouts, now that we do know what cars we have we can assign you to the trainer that will act most like the GT car you're going to be driving," Keisuke answered with a chuckle, "Aniki has been springing information on us just the same as we have you, only we do it because we get it sprung on us just before we have to tell you."

"Let's go ahead and get down to business, Ms. Sasaki and Ms. Mahara you're running first laps today, three laps each. Go ahead and get changed into your fire suits," Takumi said before turning to the track, "Oh and Ms. Mahara, your helmet's lens has been replaced as promised."

After about ten minutes the cars were started and about to head out on the course. Nika led the way in the Cosmo before the first corner where the AW11 zipped by on the inside line. Reiko began opening a gap over Nika as they made their way through the course's first couple of long corners and straights as she adjusted to the new power of the car.

"Very cool, probably the first time in its life that the AW11 has been able to outrun anything," Gavin joked as he leaned on the guardrail.

"Oh please, you know if you were in the Cosmo you'd be able to keep up," Tatsuo laughed slightly.

"On the braking course maybe, on the open corners of the throttle course, I doubt it, power makes a lot of difference on this course," the buzz cut blonde responded a little more seriously as they watched the AW11 lose a small amount of its gap through the right handed two hundred and seventy degree loop corner.

The Cosmo started to close the gap slightly as the two cars pushed through the only two tight corners of the course before once again falling behind in the long straight before the hairpin corner. As they approached the hairpin Reiko braked too much and a little late causing her entry speed to be way off what it could have been. This small mistake caused the gap to quickly close.

"Well I guess I'm not keeping up with her anymore thanks to the upgrade in the AW11," Nika said to herself as she began running at her own pace through the remainder of the first lap.

"You shouldn't try to Ms. Mahara," Takumi's voice came through the radio causing Nika to jump slightly, "The rules of Super GT only require you to beat those cars that are in your class."

Gavin and Tatsuo noticed the Cosmo swerve slightly before the v-turn after the hairpin causing them to chuckle quietly.

"What are you two chuckling about gentlemen?" Kyoko asked from behind them.

"Seems Nika forgot that she had a radio in the car ma'am," Gavin said stifling the chuckle.

Kyoko simply shook her head and walked away from the two men who turned back to the track where the AW11 was just coming through the right handed u-turn well ahead of the Cosmo. The gap continued to open as the two cars flew down the last stretch of the course and the remaining two laps of the race. By the end of the 3rd lap Reiko was nearly three seconds ahead of the Cosmo.

Reiko managed to beat Takumi's lap time from when he drove the Cosmo by only milliseconds, and as the two ladies drove around the course at a slow pace so the cars would have time to cool off slightly and so they would be facing the correct direction, Gavin and Tatsuo ran to get ready for their own laps.

"Reiko, you managed to just beat Takumi's Cosmo lap time by a few milliseconds," Keisuke said through the radio as the two cars continued their lap, "Well done."

Once the two cars got back to their proper places the track side maintenance crew changed out the tires on each car as Reiko and Nika vacated the cars. Gavin and Tatsuo jumped in and were strapped in.

"Okay we'll work on driver change out a bit later," Takumi said to Keisuke before the two men took off on their own laps with fresh tires, once again the AW11 taking the quick lead.

"I can't get used to the feeling in the Cosmo, the balance of the thing is just too different from my own car," Nika said as she and Reiko changed back into their regular clothes.

"The AW11 is a lot different from my SE3P too, but it's just a matter of getting used to it," Reiko replied calmly, "Though I'll admit the limited vision is something I'm not used to either."

When the two ladies returned to the trackside Gavin and Tatsuo were still somehow rather close to one another. The Cosmo only appeared to be a car length behind the AW11.

"What happened to Gavin's lead Fujiwara-sensei?" Reiko asked as she stepped next to the brown haired man.

"He made a mistake in the v-turn, he nearly stopped completely, we're under the assumption that the brakes locked and he couldn't prevent it," Takumi replied with his hand over the microphone, "This is their last lap, and your brother hasn't let off since it happened."

"Did Gavin not say anything?" the black haired young lady asked sounding a little worried.

"Other than the few choice words that I heard while the radio was still on, no," Keisuke answered still watching both cars.

As Gavin and Tatsuo finished their final laps they had both come very close to the lap time set by Takumi. With the cars parked in their bays all of the students went to find lunch.

"Gavin, can I ask a favor of you?" Nika asked as they walked towards the main building of the school.

"Depends on the favor," the buzz cut blonde responded with a chuckle.

"I'd like to drive your FD, since it's basically the same car as the GT300 model I'll be driving later," Nika cut herself off as Gavin's face seemed to change.

"I'm sorry no, I won't let anyone drive my car," he responded calmly.

"All I'm asking for…" the brown haired girl was cut off by an angry glare.

"I said no Nika, my grandfather bought me that car, no one drives it but me," Gavin said with an unusual growl in his tone, "I will let you ride in the passenger seat all you want, but you are not driving my car."

As the day progressed Gavin's mood seemed to lighten only slightly after Nika's mention of driving the FD. Nika seemed to avoid him for the rest of the day as well. Reiko was doing what she could to calm the buzz cut blonde while Tatsuo was doing what he could to convince Nika that Gavin's mood wasn't entirely her fault. After the students were dismissed Gavin left tread marks on the pavement as he flew out of the school's parking area.

Just after dinner time that day Gavin agreed to meet on Akagi for a bit of fun. He figured the least he could do while they were there was apologize to Nika for raising his voice at her at the school. He arrived at the foot of Mt. Akagi only a few minutes before Reiko and Tatsuo, Nika arrived shortly after them.

"Nika, I'd like to apologize for my being so rude earlier, the offer to ride along any time you want is still open though," Gavin said as Nika came closer to the group.

"I understand your attachment to your car, I guess I should have expected that reaction from a racer," Nika replied with a slight chuckle.

"Well passenger seat is open, so let's get going," the buzz cut blonde said before walking to the driver's side of the toreador red FD.

Nika quickly climbed in and they took off towards the top of the mountain with both SE3Ps following close behind. As they approached the first few hairpins, Gavin floored the throttle and began tackling them one at a time using a grip run technique allowing Nika to feel the way the car moved as it stuck to the road.

"This is basically what it will feel like in the Super GT car," Gavin said as they cleared the last of the first hairpins in the first uphill set and entered the multiple s-curves, "I'll go through each corner with progressively less of a grip style to at least try and simulate tire wear over long periods, but it'll probably be a lousy attempt."

"Okay, just don't kill us and I'll be happy," Nika laughed before the FD tore through the right handed u-turn.

"That's the easy part," the buzz cut blonde chuckled.

As the FD flew through the course Reiko and Tatsuo were talking back and forth about what Reiko was seeing since she was in the middle of the pack.

"So what's he doing up there? I can't see through you," Tatsuo asked with a laugh as they plowed through the course.

"Well, knowing a little of how he thinks, I think he's trying to simulate tire wear on new tires," Reiko said confusedly as she followed the red FD through a few corners and watched it slide out more through each one, "Actually, I'm not sure I want to know what he's doing."

Tatsuo chuckled through the radio as he continued to follow his sister up their home course. A few minutes later the group of cars approached the final hairpin set of the uphill run. Gavin's FD was sliding more for show as Reiko and Tatsuo followed suit and drifted through each of the hairpins.

"So did you get the feel for the FD that you wanted Nika?" Reiko asked as the group gathered in the upper parking area.

"I sort of did, I'll have to ride a little more since I'm not allowed to drive it," Nika replied with a chuckle.

"Well blame stick in the mud Gavin for that," Reiko said in a teasing tone, "He's the one that needs to lighten up."

"Hey I said it at the school, no one drives the FD but me, my grandfather bought me the car when I was 15, and he and I would work on it together," Gavin said leaning against the subject of his story, "He taught me a lot about cars on this machine, he taught me how to drive it too."

"Sounds like you enjoy his company quite a lot," Nika said earning a look from Reiko.

"I did, these dog tags belonged to him from his days in the air force," Gavin said holding the chain with his thumb.

"I always thought those were yours since they've got your name on them," Tatsuo said with a chuckle, "Guess I should have looked at the birth date."

"What happened to him?" Nika asked not noticing Gavin getting choked up over the subject.

"He died about two years ago, I haven't taken these dog tags off since, and no one, not even a body shop, has touched this car to repair it but me," Gavin said through a shaky breath, "I don't think he would approve of the engine swap and me racing, but as long as I have this car he'll always be here."

Reiko walked over to the taller man and hugged him around the chest as he remained in his place on the hood of his car.

"Nika, what about your step-mom, has she left you alone?" Tatsuo asked trying to get on a different subject.

"I'm a little surprised you don't know the answer to that, we screamed for nearly ten minutes at each other while you stood outside waiting," Nika laughed as she leaned against Reiko's RX-8, "But she has not called trying to set me up since then so I count that as a win."

"So that's what that favor you asked about last week was all about, that guy you were talking about was at your Dad's house," Gavin said with a laugh, "And you used Tatsuo here to get out of it."

"As it turns out all I had to do was tell the guy I was dating Tatsuo, they knew each other," Nika responded sounding a little overly serious, "I'm still curious how you two knew each other though, you never did explain that."

"I don't think you'd believe me if I told you, so I think I'll leave it at that," Tatsuo said nervously.

"Alright now you've got my interest Tatsuo, better spit it out before I come over there and beat it out of you," Gavin said with a laugh at the younger man's face.

"Well, Reiko you remember that guy I used to teach how to play the cello on the weekends after school?" Tatsuo asked getting a nod from his sister, "Well turns out he's the one Nika's step-mom was trying to set her up with."

"HE WAS YOUR STUDENT!?" Nika shouted nearly at the top of her lungs, "Hey wait, didn't you say you've known him since you were ten or eleven?"

"Didn't I say you wouldn't believe me?" the black haired young man replied scratching his ear, "And yes I did say that, it was the truth, I only taught him cello after he turned 16 though."

"Well I believe it, the way you play you could have taught Bach or Mozart a thing or two," Gavin said with his arm still around Reiko.

"And how do you know that?" Tatsuo said with an all out laugh, "From what you play in your car I wouldn't expect a man who knows about them."

"Hey just cause I don't listen to it often doesn't mean I don't like a bit of the classical music styles, Beethoven's fifth being a favorite, the Barber of Seville and Vivaldi's Four Seasons too," Gavin said shocking everyone in the parking area, especially Tatsuo, "So has anyone heard from Mikio lately? I realize it's only been a couple weeks since he challenged Nika to a race, but still."

"I heard from some folks I know out at Irohazaka, they say he's been winning more often these days, also that his technique seems to follow a whole new pattern of follow first battle since he's been able to keep up with a lot of his latest opponents," Tatsuo said before getting his phone out, "And I have a text here from a spectator's stand point from one of them, he's been practicing the line that goes through the air though he hasn't used it yet, preferring to pass in one of the few places in the final stretches."

"You mean that place where the optical illusion happens and the road just looks too narrow?" Gavin asked sounding genuinely curious.

"I guess, they really aren't specific in their messages about where in the last stretch he's been passing, but I would assume that's the spot," the black haired man responded, "Let's get back down, I'm getting tired and I've still got work I want to do on the kits I've been working on for our cars."

Nika retook her place in the FD's passenger seat and Gavin led the pack down the mountain. As they trekked down the pass Gavin once again tried to let Nika feel every aspect of the FD. When they reached the bottom Reiko and Tatsuo left without stopping while Nika and Gavin stayed and talked about his car and even made a couple more treks up and down the pass in the FD before leaving.

When the students arrived at the school the next day, a silver Toyota Altezza was going around the throttle track while being chased by the school's trainer Cosmo. Gavin and Tatsuo were trying to figure out just how the Altezza couldn't seem to pull away from the little Cosmo.

"Either they upgraded the Cosmo last night, or the driver of the Altezza isn't as good as the person in the Cosmo," Gavin said after the two cars began their second supervised lap.

"Somehow I'm more inclined to agree with the latter of the two," Tatsuo responded, "The lines they're using are okay, but they aren't the best ones on that course, plus the style of driving seems a little rough around the edges, the Cosmo is much smoother and is using the faster lines; that's how whoever is driving is able to keep up I think."

The two cars cleared the narrow hairpin corner and were dashing through the long straight as the Cosmo picked a different entry into the v-turn and managed to get by the Altezza just far enough to clear the corner by the chrome on its rear bumper, the Altezza quickly fell behind as the driver appeared to give up the chase after being passed. Nika and Tatsuo were impressed by the Cosmo's driver's abilities as the car came to a stop in its proper parking area while the Altezza pulled off the track completely.

"I told you Nobuhiko, you can't touch me yet," Wataru laughed as he climbed from the Cosmo, "But I'll admit you held me back there a lot longer than I thought you would so kudos on that."

"Thank you Wataru, it feels good to get a little time on the track with no distractions looming overhead," Nobuhiko replied before acknowledging the students' presence trackside, "Well I guess you're surprised to see that one of your teachers isn't as good as the rest."

"No, just a little surprised to see you on the course Sir," Gavin responded trying to sound sincere.

"Well, now you know either way, I was brought on specifically as an off track teacher, I'm nowhere near the best one here," the black haired man responded adjusting his glasses slightly, "You'll be on the course later today instead of first thing so head inside and we'll start once everything out here is cleaned up."

The students spent most of their time in the class room watching some track footage of passes as well as some cornering techniques as Nobuhiko explained how and when each one could be used. When they came out the students saw two FDs on the course, one yellow the other black.

"Keisuke and Kyoko have been on the course for half a lap, we can let them finish out their little race," Wataru said as the two cars flew through the hairpin before the v-turn, "You'll notice how the driver of the black FD is able to keep their speed even though the car only has a single turbo."

The two cars seemed tied together as the yellow FD followed the other through the v-turn and down the course and through the next u-turn. As they entered the straight the yellow FD passed the black one on the outside and once again the two cars appeared to be tied together as they finished the lap and began flying through the first corners of the next lap. When they maneuvered through the two hundred seventy degree loop turn the black FD falling behind slightly as it slid out of its intended line.

By the end of the third lap Wataru called an end to the race because the tires of the black FD were so obviously shredded that even he could see the black car sliding off its line more and more from across the track. As the two cars came off the track the black FD immediately went into the shop area while the yellow pulled down into pit lane and came to a stop.

"Way to go Kyoko, you've managed to get by your husband in his own car," Wataru said as the dirty blonde haired woman stepped from the yellow mica FD.

Every jaw in the area dropped as Keisuke came around the corner of the shop with a grin from ear to ear as Kyoko ran up to hug him.

"Alright, now that you've had a show, Mr. Reynolds and Ms. Mahara get ready to hit the course," Keisuke said with a chuckle as the students stood in their places and stared.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Gavin was cleaning his apartment after his mother called and said she would be by to see him later in the day, and though his apartment was never overly messy he felt the need to tidy up the small details. The buzz cut blonde's mother knocked on the door just as he was finishing up the cleaning.

"Gavin, is there something burning?" The graying woman asked as she stepped into the apartment.

"Only my vacuum cleaner belt, I think I put it on wrong," the buzz cut blonde responded as he sniffed the air, "I haven't had time to cook today."

Gavin spent some time talking with his mother before his phone rang displaying Reiko's cell number and her picture on the screen.

"What's up Reiko?" Gavin asked with a smile.

"You need to come get me, Mom has been drinking on an empty stomach and she's insulting the guests, somehow I get the feeling I'm on the list if I stay here," Reiko responded with a serious tone.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Gavin said with a chuckle, "Should I be dressed for the occasion?"

"A tuxedo would be a good idea," Reiko said before hanging up.

"Mom, mind if I borrow the Mercedes for a little bit?" Gavin said as he stepped into his bedroom and closed the door.

"Sure, going on a date?" his mother asked with a chuckle.

"More like a rescue mission where formal attire is a requirement," the young man said through the closed door, "My keys are on the hook by the door."

"I'll have your father come by and get me. I know how you feel about people borrowing your car dear, just bring mine back in one piece."

"You're not people, you're my mother and you need a way home that's a little more reliable than Dad," the buzz cut blonde said jokingly just before opening his bedroom door, "I know you'll treat her okay till I can come get her."

Gavin came out wearing a black tuxedo with a red vest and tie over a white French cuff shirt with a pair of cheap cuff links and polished black shoes. He checked his tie and collar in the mirror before he retrieved the keys to his mother's Mercedes and kissed her on the cheek. He left her in his apartment without getting a response about her taking his car or any way to lock his door.

As he drove to the Sasaki household Gavin began to wonder why Reiko had called him instead of anyone else. When he arrived he parked the Mercedes close to the door and simply walked into the house ignoring the valet's protests about not having shown an invitation or given up his keys.

When he spotted Reiko he took serious notice of the dress she had on. It was a silver evening gown with one shoulder piece with an embroidered design on the strap that flowed down the entire dress. She also wore elbow length gloves and a color matched wrap across her elbows, and while her black hair held its usual down and curly place, it had a little extra shine to its appearance.

"You look stunning this evening my lady," Gavin whispered with a chuckle in Reiko's ear after sneaking up behind her, causing her to immediately turn and see who said it.

"I'm going to go get some clothes I can change into," Reiko whispered as she hugged the taller blonde as best she could without looking improper, "You look pretty good yourself."

"Mom's Mercedes is out front, should I move it to the garage?" Gavin asked quietly as they walked towards an empty room.

"Yeah, I'll meet you around there in five minutes at the most," Reiko responded heading upstairs to her room.

Gavin waited out at the garage for exactly five minutes before Reiko came through the door leading into the house, then he opened the car door for her after taking her bag. Once they were on their way Reiko let out a sigh of relief.

"Happy to be out of there and hungry at the same time," Reiko said as they drove along a quiet street.

"Well I know a great place with a lake view," Gavin replied turning toward Akina, "There is a dress code so we'll eat first."

The pair drove along in a comfortable silence until they arrived at the restaurant Gavin had mentioned. Once the car was passed on to the valet, Gavin allowed Reiko in the door being held open by an attendant before following her through.

The restaurant was well decorated with a red and gold floor, log cabin style walls, and mahogany tables of all sizes. Each table had three short candles at their center, and the huge chandelier in the center of the room gave the whole place a romantic glow. The string quartet that was playing was in an alcove by the main entrance filled the place with a soft melody.

"Two, a lake view if you don't mind," Gavin said to the man behind the podium.

He led them to a small table for two directly in front of the huge window across the back wall that looked out over the lake. The waiter took their drink order before leaving them to look over the extensive menu.

"I hope you don't expect me to pay for this Gavin," Reiko said with a quiet chuckle.

"Of course not, everything tonight is on my dime," the buzz cut blonde responded with a wink.

After they ordered their food, Reiko simply stared out the window at the star lit lake for a while before Gavin decided to try having a conversation.

"So why did you call me tonight?" the buzz cut blonde asked.

"Because I knew you would come without asking why or when, you've always been that way since we kissed that first time so long ago," Reiko responded blushing lightly.

"You kissed me, you still haven't told me why either, but I've always been the type to leap before looking," Gavin responded with a small grin.

"Well that's still the reason I called, I knew you'd come just because you're that kind of man, even more so when it's a friend," the black haired young woman's voice trailed off as her hand went to the table.

"Well when we go to my place you can change then we'll have some fun," Gavin replied placing his hand over hers.

As soon as the food came all conversation between the two stopped as they ate. Neither seemed willing to speak during the drive to Gavin's apartment either. Once they arrived at the apartment complex Gavin noticed his FD still in its parking place, Gavin allowed Reiko to use the bedroom first to change her clothes once they had gotten into the apartment.

"Do you mind if I take a quick shower Gavin?" Reiko asked through the door.

"No go ahead, just lock the bathroom door and I'll change while you're in there," Gavin replied from his place on the couch.

Twenty minutes later they were once again on the road and looking for something to do, in more comfortable clothing and just driving around in the buzz cut blonde's mother's Mercedes.

"Wanna catch a late showing or something? It's only 11, your mother's parties never have wrapped up before midnight," Gavin said as they simply drove around.

"Is there a theater on the base where your Mom and Dad are?" Reiko asked quietly.

"Yeah, but that's a pretty far piece from here," the buzz cut blonde replied, "But I think I know a place."

Gavin quickly turned the Mercedes around and headed back towards the apartments.

"Where are we going?" Reiko asked as she watched from the passenger seat.

"Back to my place, I've got a few movies and a decent TV to watch them on, so why not just stay in?"

Reiko simply looked towards her lap as her cheeks began to get warmer. Once they arrived Gavin found some pop corn and sat beside his black haired classmate on the couch and started the first movie. By the end of the movie Gavin was tired and Reiko had fallen asleep on his shoulder, so he gently lifted her off the couch and moved her to the bed, covering her in one of the blankets before he returned to the couch and fell asleep.

Gavin woke up to his phone going off in his pocket, as he tiredly dug around for it he couldn't help wonder why anyone would be calling him. When he saw Tatsuo's name and face on the phones screen he knew.

"Yes Reiko is here with me, no we aren't doing anything improper, I'm on the couch," Gavin said half growled sleepily.

"That's all I wanted to know, sorry for waking you," Tatsuo said quietly, "Just make sure she's home before noon," he added with a chuckle just before hanging up the phone.

Gavin looked at the time on his phone; it showed nearly three in the morning. The buzz cut blonde shook his head and went back to sleep.

The next day Tatsuo got out his phone and dialed Nika's number, hoping to call in a favor.

"Hey Tatsuo, what's got you calling me on a day off from classes?" the brown haired young woman asked as she answered the phone.

"I'd like to call in that favor you owe me, I've got an invite to a friend's parent's party with a plus one attached, and knowing if I show up alone they're going to pull the same thing your step-mom did with you, I figure I'm better off not going alone," Tatsuo said with an uncomfortable chuckle.

"When? And what's the dress code?" Nika asked with a hint of happiness in her tone.

"Tonight 8 o'clock, and black tie," the black haired young man replied sounding like he hated the idea.

"I've got something for that, I'll see you when you come get me then," the brown haired young woman replied with a chuckle.

After a few more minutes of talking on the phone Tatsuo had the address at which to pick her up and a definite time he would be there to do so. Later that evening when Tatsuo appeared at Nika's door he was wearing a black tuxedo with gold seamed lapels, a gold vest and matching tie, along with monogrammed cuff links.

Nika answered the door wearing a pale blue strapless evening gown with a matching wrap and a pair of matching pumps, and her brown hair was curled and down unlike the usual pony tail she wore it in.

"I told you I had something for a formal event," Nika chuckled as Tatsuo stood in the door awestruck.

Tatsuo finally shook off the shock and escorted Nika to the passenger side of the SE3P. When they arrived the party was just beginning and dinner was about to be served so they were immediately seated at the large dining table. After they ate Tatsuo had a few laughs with the friend whose parents were hosting the party before he asked Nika to dance with him. As they danced some of the people watched but most ignored the guests who were dancing. Shortly after things became rather dull for anyone younger than thirty and not very involved in business.

"I am so bored, let's get the hell out of here and go up to Myogi or something," Nika said quietly as she and Tatsuo stood in a corner.

"You know, I think you're right, this is one of the most boring parties I've been to in a while," the black haired young man replied with a chuckle, "Myogi it is then."

Tatsuo managed to get both of them out unnoticed by the hostess or his friend and they were well on their way to Myogi before anyone called him to find out where they were. The black haired man ignored the call choosing to simply silence his phone. When they arrived at Myogi's summit they watched a car unknown to either of them launch onto the course.

"The most fun I think I had at that party was when I got to dance with you," Nika said with a laugh as they watched the star filled sky once they had parked.

Tatsuo went back in the car, put a CD just at the edge of the stereo system and proceeded to open all the doors and turn up the volume before he pushed the CD in and it began to play. He never spoke, just held out a hand and smiled as Nika took it. The two danced in the parking lot to the slow cello music that was playing through the stereo not caring if anyone saw them or if anyone was even around.

"So who was the cellist on this CD?" Nika asked as the first piece ended.

"That is actually me playing," Tatsuo chuckled as the brown haired woman's eyes got bigger.

"Much as I hate to kill the mood, I'm really hungry," Nika said with a panicked look and a laugh, "Dinner tasted great, but there just wasn't enough of it."

"So where do you plan on going at 10 o'clock at night dressed to the nines?" Tatsuo chuckled pointing out the fact they were still in their formal wear making the brown haired girl blush just a bit, "I've got some clothes in the trunk you can wear."

Tatsuo walked around to the trunk of the car and pulled out a bag with a neatly folded blue button down shirt and a pair of black slacks in it and handed it to Nika.

"And just where do you expect me to get out of this get up?" Nika asked with a chuckle as she gestured to the dress.

Tatsuo simply pointed toward his SE3P just beside him before gesturing for Nika come closer and turn around. Nika didn't react at first but eventually did turn around with a small smile on her face as she held her hair out of the way so he could unzip the dress for her as a blush came to her cheeks. When she crawled into the car Tatsuo stood at the trunk of the car and took off his jacket, tie and vest before neatly placing them in a suit bag he had left in the trunk nearly a month before.

"So why is it you have these in your trunk all nice and neatly packed?" Nika asked as she held the pants up.

"Yeah, wearing a t-shirt and jeans isn't a good idea when called to meet my mother, those meetings tend to happen at random moments," Tatsuo chuckled as he threw Nika a belt, "Should have figured those would be a bit big on you."

Nika ignored the comment and put the belt on before climbing back into the car to get her dress and shoes out and placing them in the trunk.

"You know most places require shoes right?" Tatsuo asked with a chuckle.

"Yes, but I can't wear blue pumps with black pants now can I?" Nika asked sarcastically before closing the trunk for Tatsuo, "Now, I'm in the mood for a burger, you know anywhere to get one at this hour?"

"I know a place, I don't know that the chef will be too happy to see us though," the black haired young man said with a chuckle.

"And why is that?" Nika asked as they both got back into the SE3P, "Is he closed by now or something?"

"He might be by the time we get there, but he's an old family friend so we should be okay," Tatsuo said as he began flying down the mountain passing the mystery car on its way back up.

"I wonder who that is, can't say as I've seen the car out here before," Nika said as she watched the car in the side rear view mirror.

"Well it's a black S15 with two wolves on it, shouldn't be too hard to track down," Tatsuo said as he just continued the trek down the mountain.

About twenty minutes after leaving Myogi's summit they arrived at a small diner that still appeared to be open. Tatsuo quickly ran up to the door and knocked while Nika was catching up.

"We're closed!" a man shouted from the other side of the doors.

"Oh come on old man, I know you the grill is still hot and all I need are three burgers, a couple drinks and a place to eat em," Tatsuo shouted back through the doors, "Come on Uncle, open up!"

"Tatsuo? For the love of silk why didn't you say it was you?" an older man asked opening the doors and wrapping the younger man in a hug.

"This guy is your uncle?" Nika asked with a surprised tone.

"Not really, but he used to teach at mine and Reiko's school before he opened this place and he was practically part of the family since he knows my Dad so well," Tatsuo answered as they walked in together after being let out of the hug.

"He's the only one that calls me Uncle, never a name attached to it just Uncle," the older man said with a chuckle before he went back to the kitchen.

"You weren't lying to my step-mom when you said you knew a lot of people I guess," Nika chuckled as Tatsuo sat across from her.

"I may be good at hiding it, but I'm a pretty lousy liar long term," Tatsuo said with a laugh as the man known as Uncle agreed from the back.

Nika and Tatsuo spent nearly two hours talking with Uncle about nearly everything in Tatsuo's childhood before they had to return Nika to her apartment for the night. As they got to the apartment complex Tatsuo escorted Nika back to the door with her dress on his other arm.

"You know it's nearly one in the morning, you want to crash on the couch? You look like you could use a nap or something."

"Unfortunately I really can't, I've got to get home before mother starts calling and asking why I ditched that party," Tatsuo said as he handed the brown haired girl the dress she wore before the button up shirt and slacks she had on now, "I'll get my clothes back from you later."

With that Tatsuo walked back to his car and drove off into the darkness. He made a few phone calls while fighting off the tiredness that was quickly overwhelming him as he continued to drive.

"I've got to quit staying up for 20 plus hours," Tatsuo said to himself through his fifth yawn in ten minutes.

The young man even turned up the radio as well as the air conditioning in order to keep himself awake, but despite his best efforts to remain awake, about half way home the black haired man fell asleep at the wheel and hit a light pole head on.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Gavin awoke to his phone going off from multiple incoming messages. The buzz cut blonde sleepily read the first text message in the list.

'_Tatsuo fell asleep at the wheel and had an accident he's in the hospital, get to Nika's and then get to the hospital closest to our house. R."_

Gavin's whole body snapped awake and he was out the door and headed for Nika's apartment before he could even really think about his actions.

Nika had received a similar text message and immediately broke down and began crying. She immediately jumped into Gavin's arms after opening the door for him. Gavin simply wrapped his arms around her and led her to his FD, helped her into the passenger seat and headed for the hospital as quickly as he could.

"This is my fault, I should have dragged him onto the couch," Nika said between not so quiet sobs.

"You couldn't have predicted he'd have an accident Nika, it was his own fault," Gavin said quietly.

When they arrived at the hospital Gavin had managed to convince Nika that the accident wasn't her fault, though he still had to keep saying it till they got to Tatsuo's room.

"Gavin," Nika said just before he opened the door as a tear rolled down her cheek, "I don't think I want to go in, I don't want to see what ever damage there is."

"Hey, he's a tough nut to crack, I'm sure he's just in there because the doc wants to observe him or something," Gavin said with a small smile, "They need to make sure his brains didn't get unscrambled after all," he added with a quiet laugh.

Nika took Gavin's hand and he led her into the room. Tatsuo was asleep, his right arm was in a sling and he had a bandage over his right eye.

"See Nika, not so bad huh?" Gavin asked quietly, Nika only nodded in response.

"He was awake when they brought him in, they gave him a sedative to help him sleep," Reiko said through a yawn not getting out of the bed side chair, "His right arm got slammed into the door panel thanks to the airbag, the cut was opened up when they broke the window out, but the doctor has already said he's going to be fine once they get his arm put back together."

"Reiko, where are your parents?" Gavin asked after looking down either side of the hall outside the room.

"They've already gone home, Mom was really torn up and she caused a bit of a scene," Reiko chuckled, "Raiden managed to get to the accident site before the car was towed off, he had it sent to the house."

"How did it look?" Nika asked quietly as she sat on the edge of the bed.

Reiko seemed hesitant to say anything but Gavin nodded to her with a comforting smile, Nika simply watched Tatsuo sleeping.

"First glances say it's totaled, but I think with enough time it's fixable, the front bumper was broken in two, one of the headlights is shattered and the radiator is cracked but that appears to be the sum total of it according to Aniki," the black haired girl said quietly, "I fear Tatsuo will not be too keen on the idea of saving it."

Gavin placed a hand on Nika's shoulder to get her attention, and gestured for the two ladies to follow him. Once they were in the hall Gavin waited till the door was fully closed before speaking.

"Alright, you said Tatsuo wouldn't want to fix the SE3P, so why don't we fix it for him?" The buzz cut blonde asked quietly, "Reiko you get the designs for his RX-8 off his computer before you bring it to him, I'll talk with Takahashi-sensei about using the garage at the school, Nika you and I will rebuild the thing using his kit."

"I'll make a call and have the guys that did the splitters and spoilers start building the kit as soon as I get the designs to them so we can get it done before he gets out," Reiko said just as quietly before walking away from her classmates.

"Nika, will you be okay staying here with him alone?" Gavin asked placing a hand on the brown haired girl's shoulder.

"I should be, go and make your phone calls even though it is only 4 am," the brown haired girl replied with a semi forced chuckle.

Around the time training normally started Gavin was on his way to the Sasaki household to pick up Tatsuo's RX-8 in the school's flat bed tow truck. Reiko was at the hospital with her brother after sending the designs to the fabricators they had used for the original body work, and Nika was getting the garage set up at the school so they could start as soon as Gavin got back.

Gavin and Nika began taking off what was left of the old front fender and the other broken parts as well as anything to be replaced before the car was completely off the tow truck. The tear down included the rear bumper, radiator supports as well as all the lines connected with the air conditioning system and a few other odds and ends.

Once all the damaged and replaceable parts were removed Gavin immediately started putting on the new mechanical parts like the radiator, new brake calipers, rotors and pads, as well as coil over adjustable shocks, and re-bending the lines for the A/C with a little help from Nika, and Reiko while she was there.

"Mr. Reynolds seems to know rotary mechanics quite well," Kyoko said as she leaned against the school's Cosmo, "Do you think it comes from owning that 20B engine?"

Keisuke simply shrugged as he continued to watch the three students work on prepping the SE3P for its rebuild. At the hospital Tatsuo was playing around with a few designs for the FD and the Z33 belonging to his classmates to pass a little time before the surgery to repair his right arm was scheduled. He was already feeling the effects of the meds they had given him.

"Alright, let's get that forearm fixed up and casted so you can go home," A nurse said with a smile, "We'll bring you back to this room so you can leave your things here."

Tatsuo simply laid his head back and let the nurse do the heavy lifting before being wheeled out of the room. Later on when he woke up he felt the cast stop just above his elbow, he also saw his sister sitting in the chair next to his bed.

"Hey Reiko, what's up?" the black haired man asked groggily, "How long have you been here?"

"About twenty minutes, they had already brought you back when I got here, you've got a few screws and a couple plates holding the bones in your forearm together now," Reiko said grabbing the water that was on the table in front of her offering him the straw, "Here, the nurse said you would be thirsty when you woke up."

"She wasn't kidding," Tatsuo said just before taking a long drink from the cup, "I've been looking into a few cars that I can get to replace the RX-8."

"I was afraid you'd do that," Reiko sighed as she sat back down next to her brother's bed, "What did you find?"

"Well I looked into an RX-7 Spirit R, I'm not sure its authentic because the guy who wants to sell it didn't list the VIN in his ad," Tatsuo said laying back in the bed, "I've also been looking into a new RX-8, I figure I can still get a couple hundred thousand yen for the old one even after the accident."

"What is with you and not saving cars?" Reiko asked with an annoyed tone, "Why can't you just once try to keep a car you wreck? We aren't our parents after all."

"Because I saw the damage Reiko, it wouldn't be worth what it would cost to fix up, the engine frame is probably bent and the radiator was spilling coolant so you know it's cracked which means the supports are probably bent too," Tatsuo said adjusting his position to look at his sister, "I promise not to buy anything without looking at it in person, so why are you acting like I'm going to be driving home in a new car?"

"I'm just ticked off that in so many respects you are your own person, but every time we go by a car lot you talk about getting a new car like the RX-8 doesn't even belong to you," Reiko said turning away from her brother to hide her grin, "You did the same thing with the first one too."

"Okay, I'm confused; you know just as well as I do that I love my SE3P, but Reiko the insurance will call it totaled and not repairable," Tatsuo said exasperatedly, "I don't see a point in trying to fix it and then try to get it reinsured, it's just too much of a hassle."

"I guess you're right, either way nurse says you'll be out of here before the weekend, doc wants to run a couple tests," Reiko said shifting in her chair, "So go back to sleep, it's late and I have work to do."

"Have you been driving at the school while I've been in here?" Tatsuo asked before Reiko got out of the room.

"Yeah, as well as learning to fix our cars a little, right now it amounts to keeping us off the road side," the black haired girl chuckled before she left.

'_For a girl who has a degree in Automotive Engineering she really doesn't know a lot about cars,' _Tatsuo thought with a chuckle before he fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning the new body panels and the new kit for Tatsuo's SE3P arrived at the school. Keisuke signed for the delivery while Gavin got the two heavier forward quarter panels and Reiko and Nika wrestled with the two bumpers.

"Shouldn't we help them out?" Wataru asked once the delivery truck had left.

"They said they wanted to do it themselves, they already ran the engine last night after you left, I guess once they get the panels on they'll start tuning it," Keisuke answered while watching the students, "Stick around and give it a once over tonight just to be sure the mechanics are proper though."

"Why should I be the one to do it? Kyoko knows rotaries better than I do," Wataru asked with a confused tone.

"True enough, but Kyoko has a date with her husband that's been nearly a month in the planning so that leaves you," Keisuke laughed before walking into the main building, leaving Wataru to supervise the students.

"Akiyama-sensei, would you mind lending us a hand with the hood?" Gavin asked two hours after Wataru started watching them. It would be the last step to completing the revival of the RX-8's body.

Ten minutes later the engine was running and the car was headed out on to the track with Gavin at the wheel.

"Why did you have the panels painted before they were on the car Reiko?" Nika asked as Gavin lined up on the start line.

"Mainly because it saved time and the fabricator still had a batch of the paint made up from when Tatsuo had it repainted after some idiot scratched the side up with a door just before Fujiwara-sensei recruited us," Reiko said with a chuckle, "The paint had only set for a week before that actually, since it's only been a few months or so the paint still matches."

Gavin was just finishing his first of the testing laps in the RX-8 and was enjoying the ride. As he came into the first right handed corner he allowed the car to slide out of its line before switching the direction and once again let the SE3P slide off the proper line.

"I don't know if anyone is listening but I think Tatsuo is going to love this thing as is," Gavin laughed into his radio as he slid through the following right hander the current walls provided.

"We're listening, but it's going to have to be tuned a bit, you're all over the place," Nika said as Gavin flew through the straight just ahead of a hairpin corner.

"Did that deliberately, I just wanted to check the limits before taking a serious run with it," the buzz cut blonde said with a laugh as he floored the throttle right after the hairpin.

After he completed two more laps at the best of the car's abilities Gavin brought the car back into the garage area to plan just how to set the car before getting it to Tatsuo. After several suspension setups and two sets of tires the students decided to take the new RX-8 to the mountains.

"We're close, but it still doesn't feel like Tatsuo's driving," Gavin said after the third set of laps, "It's getting late, I'm taking it to Akina tonight to test it for real."

"I'm going with you," Reiko and Nika said together causing a short giggle between the two.

"We're all in this, so we all go or no one does," Reiko said confidently.

"Alright, meet me at the old radio tower at midnight, I don't want any rumors about this car right now," Gavin said getting back in the RX-8 and driving away from the school lot.

"Gavin, nice to see you here," Tatsuo said as the buzz cut blonde walked into the small hospital room, "Reiko's going to be bringing me home tomorrow, hope you'll be there."

"I plan on it, Nika and I are going with Reiko up to Akina tonight, do a little testing on my FD and Nika's Z, you won't miss too much," Gavin chuckled as he sat down and put his feet on the edge of the bed, "Figured I'd drop by for a bit before heading out there."

"Well I appreciate the company, but can I ask why Reiko has been so touchy when I bring up new cars lately?"

"Don't really know, I think she's in love with those two RX-8s, if you got a new car you wouldn't be the rotary twins anymore."

"Yeah maybe that's it," Tatsuo said with a sigh, "Sisters are so confusing sometimes."

Gavin let out an all out laugh, Tatsuo joining in a few seconds later. The nurse that entered the room went unnoticed by the two men even though she was looking at them like they were crazy. Gavin sat with Tatsuo for about an hour before leaving for Akina.

At midnight as agreed Reiko and Nika met Gavin at the top of Mt. Akina. After making sure that they had most of the tools they would need to make adjustments where needed, Gavin and Reiko lined up to head down the pass after Nika radioed that she was at the bottom waiting.

"Alright Reiko, let's see what this new beastie really has," the buzz cut blonde said with a chuckle right before launching onto Akina's downhill course in Tatsuo's SE3P.

As they approached the first corners Gavin put foot to floor and flew through them at nearly full throttle all the way to the first hairpin.

"Well that was nice," Gavin said before slamming on the brakes for the hairpin.

The Aztec gold machine slid easily through the tight right handed corner. From Reiko's stand point only a few meters behind, the steering angle of the leading car was next to nothing as it drifted through the hair pin. As they continued their trek down the pass the SE3P began to open a gap between it and its chaser.

"Hey I thought you weren't going to be serious about this Gavin," Reiko half shouted through the radio as she closed the gap for the second time.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself," the buzz cut blonde said as they were about to enter the five hairpins, "Let's kick it up a notch for the hairpins."

The Aztec gold machine flew through each of the five hairpins in a different way. Through the first the buzz cut blonde allowed it to slide completely through the corner and down some of the straight between it and the second. Through the second corner he ran as close to the gutter as he could get without dropping in and allowed the tail to slide only enough to clear the corner. The next two he hooked the tires in two different manners, the first of the final three he used the gutter for cornering speed, the second it was the exit speed technique. For the fifth and final hairpin he flew through with a grip run.

"Damn that was fun," Gavin said as Reiko cleared the corners close behind him.

"We won't be telling him about the fact you could have shredded that BRAND NEW KIT!" Reiko shouted causing Gavin to pull the radio speaker out of his ear.

"Okay, just so you don't bust my ear drum again I've made that run in my FD more times than I can count Reiko, and my kit is closer to the ground than this thing is," the buzz cut blonde said as he made the next corner.

When they arrived at the bottom where Nika was waiting with the tools, the two SE3Ps looked like night and day, the Aztec gold looking like a fully modified racing machine, the harvest gold appearing as a subtly modified stock vehicle.

"Alright so what are we doing to it?" Nika asked Gavin as he climbed out of the Aztec gold machine.

"We'll have to leave that to Tatsuo, seems we got it right for me at the track," Gavin said with a chuckle as he leaned against the car, "Reiko, what do you think from running behind it?"

"Looked like it was a lot faster since we rebuilt the suspension and braking setup," Reiko said before looking at the clock in her car, "But you're right, I guess Tatsuo will have to set it his way."

"What do you think his reaction will be when we give him the keys back?" Nika asked with a chuckle.

"Who said I'm giving it back? I'm gonna keep this thing," Gavin said with an evil grin.

"Alright, let's get this thing home, I've got to pick Tatsuo up from the hospital in six hours and I'd like to have more sleep than I've had already," Reiko said climbing back into her car and driving away.

"Always with the beauty sleep," Gavin said under his breath before getting back into the Aztec gold RX-8 and drivin out after the young woman. Nika followed them out to the main road before heading back to her own apartment.

The next morning checking Tatsuo out of the clinic was like getting a tooth pulled out at the dentist; paper work to fill out and the police asking him questions about what happened and whether or not he'd been drinking that night, the whole nine yards. By two o'clock the twins were finally on their way out of the clinic.

"So how does your arm feel?" Reiko asked as they walked to the car.

"Oh it's a bit stiff," Tatsuo laughed before he opened the door and climbed into his sister's car.

During the drive home the twins talked about the doctor's orders and how he shouldn't get the cast wet, but mostly they spent the ride in silence. As they pulled into the driveway Tatsuo noticed that there was a car covered in the garage, but the door was open and Gavin and Nika were close by it.

"Hey Gavin, is this a new car from my parents or something?" Tatsuo asked not noticing the shape of the spoiler pressed into the cover as he pointed to it.

"Not from your parents but it is a new car, sort of," Gavin responded shaking the black haired man's good hand.

Nika waited just long enough for Gavin to let go of Tatsuo's hand before hugging him around the neck.

"Next time I offer you the couch Tatsuo, take it," Nika said kissing him before he could respond, "And don't ever scare me like that again."

Tatsuo managed to say he was sorry just before Gavin and Reiko walked over to the covered car and yanked the cover off. Tatsuo stood staring for a long while at the RX-8's new body kit, the Mazda grin still intact with larger holes for better airflow, the splitter still visible as a molded piece along with two side scoops near the tires, and the rear bumper had small fins molded into it at ground level that matched the new side skirts which had venting holes near the tires as well. The spoiler was paint matched to the car with a slight rise at its back side, but its mounts were aluminum and shone brightly in the afternoon sun. The new hood was carbon fiber with two symmetrical vents pointed towards the wind screen on either side of the car as well as two hood pins at the front corners.

"This is my design," Tatsuo said quietly as he noted the details in the kit, "I started this nearly two years ago and now it's really built."

Reiko walked over and hugged her brother as he forced back a few tears. Gavin walked over to the car taking the keys out of his pocket and started the twin turbo 13B that still resided beneath the hood. It's low raspy growl being the immediate sign that the engine was in perfect condition.

"We gave it a tune up and rebuilt pretty much the whole front end for you, so don't you dare say we've never done anything for you," Gavin said with a chuckle, "The insurance has also already approved the car so you can drive it when you get the cast off."

Tatsuo could no longer hold back the tears he'd been holding back, Reiko was about to step up when Gavin stopped her as Nika stepped up and hugged the black haired man tightly.

"Who's ready for a ride?" Gavin asked with a smirk across his face.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

After six weeks in a cast, Tatsuo was wandering around his family home bored out of his skull. What he wanted to do most was play his cello or drive his rebuilt RX-8. He knew he couldn't drive with his arm in a cast, but the way the cast was done also kept his fingers from pressing the strings on his cello properly or holding the bow when he tried to play with his other hand. He had also finished the designs for his classmate's cars that he had started on while in the hospital.

The black haired man finally just flopped down on his bed and tried to get a little sleep, but his phone alerted him to an incoming text message.

'_I know you've had an accident so I'll allow time to get back to top form, you can set the time and date for our race, Mikio'_

"Shit, that's one thing I did not want to think about," the black haired young man said to his empty bedroom.

He looked at his phone's clock and saw Reiko would be home from the racing school soon to take him back to the hospital to get the plaster cast off and have a couple x-rays taken to see if the bones in his right forearm were healing properly. He figured he had time for a nap before that happened and closed his eyes and quickly let his mind shut down.

"Tatsuo, wake up big guy," Gavin said standing over the younger man.

"Gavin, what the hell are you doing here?" Tatsuo said groggily as he sat up, "Where is Reiko?"

"She took Nika shopping; your girlfriend was in need of a talking to according to her," the buzz cut blonde replied, "I'm here to take you to the doctor's."

"Nika's not my girlfriend," the black haired man said getting out of the bed.

"Judging by that reaction she had after hearing about your accident I'd think she genuinely cares for you though, so why not?" Gavin said leaving without a response.

As Tatsuo came into the garage he noticed his car was uncovered and idling with no one at the wheel. Before he could reach in and turn it off Gavin came back through the garage door and stopped him.

"We're taking yours so you can at least have a chance at driving her once before tomorrow," the buzz cut blonde said with a half smile.

"What is tomorrow? And why is it important that I get to drive before then?" Tatsuo asked before climbing in the passenger seat.

"Fujiwara-sensei and Takahashi-sensei want to test you, to make sure you've recovered enough to drive at speed," Gavin said with a concerned tone.

"I can pass, just wish they would give me a couple days," the black haired man chuckled rubbing his casted arm, "Though honestly right now I just want this thing off."

The two men arrived at the hospital and Tatsuo was immediately taken into a room where they would take the cast off while Gavin sat down in the waiting area. About an hour and two x-rays later Tatsuo was allowed to leave with a removable lighter weight cast and orders not to take things too quickly. Gavin threw Tatsuo his keys when he entered the lobby and they headed out.

"So, where to first?" Tatsuo asked as they got to the car.

"Let's play that by ear, Reiko said something about the four of us getting together for dinner," Gavin said with a chuckle, "Either way, why don't we just stay close in to town for now just in case something happens with that arm?"

Tatsuo agreed and they simply drove around for about a half an hour before Gavin got a text from Reiko and they headed for a small fast food place for a quick bite to eat. When they were finished Reiko took Gavin back to his car at their house while Tatsuo took Nika back to her Z33 still parked at the school.

"So, do you want to ride with me while I do a couple laps?" Tatsuo asked before Nika could get completely out of the car.

"I'll watch from the side lines," Nika said looking away to hide the huge smile on her face.

For nearly two hours Tatsuo went around the course trying to get his arm back into condition before he was tested. The sky was filled with stars and the black haired man's arm felt like it was on fire by the time he called it quits. As he pulled off the course Nika immediately saw the discomfort on Tatsuo's face.

"Are you okay?" the brown haired girl asked running to where he parked the SE3P.

"I will be, though you wouldn't happen to carry any pain killers would you?" Tatsuo said as he climbed from the car.

"I don't, so you'll have to suffer," Nika said with a small chuckle, "You did it to yourself after all, you've been going for nearly two hours."

Tatsuo just laughed as he stared at his car for a few minutes enjoying the quiet. Nika saw the contemplative look in his eyes but didn't want to interrupt his thoughts.

"It feels heavier than it used to, I'm just trying to get used to that before tomorrow," Tatsuo said when he finally broke the silence, "And before my race with Mikio."

"Just don't kill yourself trying too hard," Nika said hugging the black haired man, a hug he returned.

"So Reiko thinks you're my girlfriend," the black haired man said with a chuckle.

"Is that so bad?" the brown haired woman said leaving one arm around Tatsuo's middle.

The two spent a few more minutes talking before going their separate ways. The next day the students gathered around the RX-8 as its black haired driver readied himself to take a few laps around the course.

"Alright Mr. Sasaki I'll be riding along with you today," Takumi said as he strapped himself into the RX-8's passenger seat.

A few minutes and a couple good luck wishes later Tatsuo launched onto the course and slid through the first right hander before he turned into the next left hander at full throttle.

"He's pushing," Gavin said with a chuckle as the Aztec gold machine flew through the straight leading into the right handed two hundred and seventy degree loop corner.

Tatsuo allowed the car to slide through the loop slightly wide of the best line before quickly switching the slide angle and flying around the long u-turn after it.

"How is your arm Mr. Sasaki?" Takumi asked as they cleared the open corners after clearing the u-turn at nearly top speed.

"A little sore but I'll make it through at least two more laps," Tatsuo answered as they entered the longest straight of the course.

"Don't push yourself harder than you should Mr. Sasaki, or your arm won't heal as well as it should," the brown haired instructor said as they cleared the hairpin.

"Tell that to Taniguchi," the black haired man said under his breath as the RX-8 flew through the v-turn.

The RX-8's lines got a little rougher through the final corners of the school's private course, as well as throughout the remaining laps as Tatsuo began to feel more and more pain from his arm. Once the RX-8 pulled off the course Tatsuo immediately put the removable cast on his arm and pulled his sleeve down to cover it before getting out of the car.

After a few minutes of discussion between the staff, Tatsuo was allowed to continue his training on the condition he let anyone of the staff ride along with him if they asked, until the doctor said it was okay for him to leave the cast off.

"Fujiwara-sensei, I would like to request first run in the Cosmo today," Tatsuo said with a bow.

"Is there some reason you're looking to push yourself straight into the ground Mr. Sasaki?" the brown haired teacher asked with a raised eyebrow.

"If I am to get back to a normal driving schedule I'd like it to be as soon as possible," the black haired young man responded sounding rather confident in himself.

"Wait a moment before answering that Fujiwara-sensei," Gavin said before pulling Tatsuo away from the teachers.

"What did you want Gavin?" the black haired young man asked before Gavin could say anything.

"Just to know why you're pushing so hard to get back behind the wheel, you've had your cast off for just under a day and you want to get in a car with NO power steering at all," Gavin with concern and anger in his tone, "You're going to get that arm broken again if you do this, worse so than the first time since it'll probably rip those screws out of the bones."

"I'm fine for a little pushing, I'm trying to get back in my car before Mikio opens his mouth about my race with him again," Tatsuo replied before walking away.

"Mr. Sasaki you will not be driving again till you've taken a break, this was a rule of the school long before now, you know this," Takumi said firmly before turning away from the young man, "Ms. Mahara and Ms. Sasaki will have first runs today."

After the ladies were done with their laps Gavin agreed quietly with Reiko and Nika to remain behind Tatsuo as they did their laps. Gavin waited till he was strapped in to the AW11 to tell Takumi about the deal he'd made with his classmates through the radio.

"I'd agree to it, but what do you think Mr. Sasaki will say?" Takumi replied shortly before the laps started.

"It's not him I'm worried about saying something, it's Takahashi-sensei I'm concerned about," the buzz cut blonde said through the radio as the two cars pulled to the starting line.

For the second time in as many hours Tatsuo's driving was showing serious degradation due to his injured arm.

"Tatsuo pull that thing over now," Gavin said through his radio after the third time he watched the Cosmo run off the edge of the track in as many corners.

"I can take it," Tatsuo replied through gritted teeth, "I'll pull off when I think I can't."

"Then at least stop running off the damn course," Keisuke's voice said with a chuckle through the radio, "And Mr. Reynolds any time you'd like to start taking this seriously, please do and pass your classmate."

"No disrespect Sir, but I won't be doing that today, I made a promise and I intend to keep it," Gavin said over a private channel with his instructor, "Plus better to have someone close if he runs it too far into the dirt."

As the two finished their second lap Tatsuo pulled off to the outside of the course and slowed way down, Gavin finished his third lap in a record time for the blonde haired man, clearly beating the lap time Takumi had set in the Cosmo almost half a year before. As the buzz cut blonde came to a stop in the pit area a short groan was heard over the radio before the aurora white Mazda on the other side of the course came to a complete stop at the peak of the hairpin corner.

Reiko nearly ran Nika over as she flew onto the course in her RX-8 before anyone else could even react. Gavin immediately followed, still in the AW11 but less strapped in and without a helmet.

"Keep everyone else off the course please Takahashi-sensei," Gavin said into the radio microphone before pulling the ear piece out.

Keisuke seemed a little dumbfounded at the request but managed to stop Wataru from heading out in the tow truck.

"You've got two minutes to get him back on course Mr. Reynolds or I send the tow truck," the spiky haired bleach blonde said in a serious tone not knowing his warning went unheard.

As the harvest gold RX-8 pulled in behind the school's trainer Cosmo the AW11 pulled around in front of it. Both Gavin and Reiko were out of their cars, before either of them spoke to the other they spotted Tatsuo moving inside the car.

"Hey, can you get it back to the garage?" Gavin asked after opening the driver's door.

Tatsuo nodded his helmet covered head and restarted the car. Gavin stayed right in front of the Cosmo in the AW11 the whole way back around while Reiko rushed back to get the med kit the school kept trackside. When the two men arrived back at the pit area Nika jumped the guardrail and was helping Tatsuo get out of the Cosmo before Gavin could even step out of the AW11.

"Mr. Reynolds, if you ever drive off like that unstrapped again you'll be sitting trackside for the rest of the week, that said go and tend to your friend," Keisuke said swapping from a serious tone to a concerned one mid sentence.

It took twenty minutes for Gavin, Nika and Reiko to talk Tatsuo out of getting back into the Cosmo and into taking the rest of the day off. Takumi dismissed the rest of the students as well since no real training would get done beyond what had already been done. Gavin drove Tatsuo home in his FD under the agreement that he would retrieve the RX-8 before night fall.

Two weeks after getting the cast off Tatsuo was finally able to make his regular three laps without dropping off either side of the course coming out of corners. Gavin and Nika were helping him as much as they could at the school and every teacher at the school had been in the Cosmo's passenger seat in the two weeks, whether it was single practice laps or the usual three lap sessions.

"I'm calling Mikio tonight, set the race in Akagi for Saturday," Tatsuo said as he and the rest of his classmates ate their lunch.

"If you think you're up to it, I'll be waiting at the finish line, top or bottom," Nika said with a confident tone.

"Hey Gavin, can I talk to you a minute?" Reiko said getting up and leaving the small picnic area.

Gavin shrugged and followed the black haired girl all the way to the garage where the two trainer cars were being stored.

"Follow him, I don't care what he says, just follow him," she said quietly once they had stopped.

"Reiko, this is his race, if Mikio so much as thinks to call foul play he would be right this time," the buzz cut blonde said equally as quiet, "I can't just butt in like that, if Tatsuo asks me then yeah I'd follow him on a mix stage course with four opponents, but this is between him and Mikio."

"If you really cared about either of us you'd do it anyway," Reiko said turning towards the slightly taller man with tears just at the edge of falling from her eyes, "I don't want to lose him Gavin, you shouldn't either."

Gavin simply stepped a little closer to the black haired girl and wrapped her in a comforting and somewhat protective hug. The buzz cut blonde was very aware they were being watched by someone but didn't really care at the time.

"Look, I don't want to lose either of you, or Nika for that matter, but me just jumping into Tatsuo's race like that would kill his confidence in his own driving, you should know that Reiko," he said placing his hands on her shoulders and pushing her out to arms length.

"I know, but if you don't do it for him, would you do it for me?" Reiko asked cleaning the fallen tears off her cheeks.

"We'll see if he gets better, how about that? If you aren't confident enough to let him go alone I'll work it out with both of them and follow them," Gavin replied before the black haired girl leapt back into his still open chest.

The remainder of the week flew by and Mikio honored his word of allowing Tatsuo to set the date and time; the two met at the top of Mt. Akagi. On Reiko's request Gavin talked the two men into letting him chase as a medical precaution for Tatsuo, one that all hoped would go unneeded.

Tatsuo and Mikio took the typical starting positions on either side of the starter facing the downhill course. Gavin aligned his FD directly behind the Aztec gold SE3P while Nika and Reiko waited at the bottom of the mountain. Once the go was given Tatsuo's SE3P launched hard and quickly found the lead place.

Through the first hairpin Mikio managed to stick close to the rebuilt RX-8 but as they made their way through the straight that followed Mikio and Gavin both fell behind, but they quickly caught up through the set of tighter corners.

"Tatsuo, is something wrong?" Gavin asked through the radio as they came into the long straight and Tatsuo stayed along the outside line.

"No, just felt a twinge, I'm okay," the black haired man answered as the SE3P regained its speed and began blocking the Lan-Evo III that was chasing after it with all its might.

Mikio was getting a little hot under the collar about being outrun by a man with an arm held together by plates and screws. As they came into the right handed hairpin after the straight the bleach blonde man spotted an opening and slid past the SE3P and found himself in the lead for the first time in the race.

"Don't even ask, it was a mistake on my part, still not used to the new suspension set up," Tatsuo said into the radio as he flew through the multiple s-curves and managed to get back on Mikio's bumper.

After the right handed hairpin Tatsuo took his chance and moved directly next to Mikio and held his place hoping the Lan-Evo would move. As they entered the left hand part of the s-turn Mikio and Tatsuo remained side by side, but going into the right handed half Tatsuo slid into the lead and stayed there through the following left handed hairpin.

Gavin watched on as the two men battled for the lead through some of the more open corners of the course, Tatsuo using the RX-8's new width to block Mikio and his Lan-Evo. The buzz cut blonde switched channels to the one Reiko and Nika were listening to and informed them of the status so far as the three cars continued the trek down the mountain before switching back to Tatsuo's frequency.

"How are you holding up Tatsuo?" Gavin asked as the three cars flew through the last set of multiple s-turns.

"I'm fine, only slight discomfort in the right arm for now," the black haired young man replied just before entering the final hairpins of the course.

Mikio made a last ditch effort as they came into the final stretch, but the RX-8 just had too much of a lead coming out of the hairpins. Tatsuo won by nearly half a car length.

As all the cars parked off the course an impromptu uphill battle started just before Gavin started wrapping Tatsuo's arm as he simply rested in his car.

"So, how is that arm treating you right now Tatsuo?" Mikio asked as he stepped around to the driver's side of Tatsuo's car.

"It's okay, just a little sore after the constant switching directions in those hairpins," Tatsuo responded keeping his eyes closed.

"So are you coming back yet Taniguchi?" Gavin asked as he pinned the wrap on Tatsuo's arm.

"I've got two more of you to race before I feel I can come back," The bleach blonde man said standing next to the open door of the Aztec gold machine, "So what happened in that hairpin where I slid by you Tatsuo?"

"Still getting used to the new suspension, I went in too fast and it came off its line," Tatsuo answered finally stepping from his car, "You won't be calling me a cheater now will you?"

"No, just wanted to make sure it wasn't your arm, honest" Mikio said with a slight chuckle putting his hands up defensively, "Though if you want to call a rematch later, I'll accept."

The act of kindness Mikio displayed nearly knocked all of the students off their feet from the shock of it. Tatsuo's classmates looked at him for some form of response, but none came immediately.

"No, we both played this one fair, I won my first official race in over a year, I think I'd like to keep it that way," the black haired young man said with a chuckle getting a quiet chuckle and nod from Mikio in response.

The Lan-Evo driver and the few teammates he'd brought with him left shortly after as Project GT remained at the foot of the mountain and enjoyed the race that had started just after they finished.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Nika was on her way to the top of Mt. Myogi around eight thirty in the evening, to meet up with her classmates for a little fun and practice time. She was going at a pretty quick pace but wasn't up to race speeds. The brown haired young woman was about half way up the mountain when two black cars flew out in front of her Z33 while three others pulled up behind and on her driver's side.

"Well this little gathering came from out of nowhere, and I'm surrounded," Nika said to herself slowing down as the two cars in front of her began to, "I knew I had a bad feeling about tonight."

As they approached the upper parking area the five cars gave her no space to get by, three of them were always in the oncoming lane and if Nika tried to get by near the guardrail the other two would move with her. When they arrived at the top parking lot three of the five cars guided her into the parking area before four of them surrounded her again forcing her to stop.

"Alright you fucking assholes, just what in the hell are you thinking boxing me in on a busy fucking road!?" Nika shouted once she slammed the Z33's door shut, "You could have killed someone out there!"

"We've been looking for you Queen of Myogi," A man about 5' 10" tall with black hair said from the driver's door of a heavily modified Nissan S15 seemingly unfazed by the woman's tone, "The Night Wolves want your mountain."

"I don't care about that, all you had to fucking do was follow me, I came up here to meet with my classmates," Nika said with an agitated tone, not realizing this was the mystery S15 from her date with Tatsuo, "If all you wanted was this fucking course then fine it's yours, I don't have a home mountain anymore anyway."

"I'm the leader of the Night Wolves, and I want to race the fastest this mountain has to offer, so if you don't want this to happen again you'll race me for the course. You win we go elsewhere, we win we take Myogi for our own," The man said keeping his eyes locked on Nika's.

"Come on boss no way she's the fastest on this mountain, she's just a girl," someone said from behind Nika.

The brown haired girl whipped around and punched the only person behind her, his body landing with a hard thud as his head bounced off the pavement.

"Just cause I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't fuck your world up fella," Nika said through gritted teeth as an Aztec gold SE3P went unnoticed as it pulled into the parking lot, "I told you, you can have the course without the race, there are no teams here."

"The Night Wolves intend to change that with one race," the leader said before climbing back into his S15, the others close behind him including the one Nika had punched.

It wasn't until he was pulling out that Nika noticed the two large wolves on either side of the S15 that appeared to be running. The brown haired girl was concentrating on the car so much that she didn't hear Tatsuo walking up behind her.

"Care to tell me what that was all about?" the black haired man said with a worried look upon his face.

"They surrounded me, led me up here and challenged me for Myogi," Nika said with anger still lacing her tone as she looked around the parking area, "Where are Gavin and Reiko?"

"Gavin had a last minute tutoring thing come up, and Reiko wasn't feeling too well so she decided not to come," Tatsuo said as he stepped behind the brown haired girl and began to massage her shoulders, "Just you and me tonight."

"Can we just dance, like we did last time it was just you and me up here?" Nika asked as her eyes began to close.

Tatsuo chuckled slightly as he left Nika and went back to his own car and started the stereo playing a slow cello piece before walking back over to her and offering the brown haired young woman his hand. Nika moved in close as they swayed back and forth as Tatsuo just held her tight and as she rested her cheek on his chest.

The next day Tatsuo informed Gavin and Reiko of the events that had transpired the night before at Myogi. Gavin applauded Nika knocking the smart mouthed fellow on his ass, but everyone showed great concern about what might happen if their classmate were to take on the leader of the Night Wolves.

"Just be careful with this guy, he doesn't sound like the nicest guy in the world at this point, I'd recommend staying away from Myogi until we're all there with you," Gavin said just before Takumi and Keisuke called them over to begin their laps for the day.

"Well let's go out there Saturday then, I don't particularly like racing over a mountain I barely even practice on anymore, but by the way he talked he's not going to give me a whole lot of choice," Nika said with a hint of anger in her tone.

The discussion was dropped for the time while each student did their laps. Tatsuo joined Reiko and Gavin in beating the Cosmo's lap time. Nika's time fell only milliseconds behind it. They also spent some time with Wataru and Kyoko learning the different ways to set up their trainer cars and what settings can be changed on the fly during a pit stop.

After being dismissed for the day the students went in four different directions. Tatsuo went home to play his cello and work on his car a little bit, Nika went to her job at the bank, Reiko went shopping while Gavin returned to his apartment for a tutoring session until all hell broke loose and they all received the same text from Mikio.

'_Team called the Night Wolves showed up in Irohazaka, we need to meet, Akagi's summit tonight nine o'clock, Mikio'_

Each of the students made their way to Akagi to be there at nine as asked. Gavin was the first to arrive shortly followed by the others in his class, Mikio showed up in a newish looking car that was not his Lan-Evo III with two of his teammates at nine o'clock on the nose.

"I asked you here because I figured if anyone could take these guys without cheating it was you four," Mikio said after greeting the students, "Their leader…"

"Drives an S15 and he's a taller fellow with black hair, a running wolf on either side of the car," Nika said cutting off Mikio mid sentence, "I've just been challenged by the Night Wolves for Myogi."

"Well then my recommendation is to leave him sucking exhaust and don't hold back, he totaled my Lan-Evo Saturday," Mikio said rolling up his sleeve and showing them the bruise and a few cuts on his arm, "Put me into the guardrail rather forcefully, luckily it held up and only the car was hurt badly."

"Why would he have done that?" Reiko asked looking at the cuts on Mikio's arm.

"He said it was an accident, but one doesn't just pull up next to a guy you can outrun and slam into him," Mikio said angrily, "I'm gonna take a swing and say that S15 looked brand new when you saw it Nika."

"You're right, not even a small dent, the lighting in Myogi's upper lot would have shown it with wolves running on the sides," Nika replied with a hint of curiosity in her tone.

"Cause it is brand new, no way that S15 drove all the way back to whatever hole he crawled out of and still met you on Myogi only a couple of days later," The stocky blonde said nearly hitting the hood of the car he'd been driving, "I've got to go, this car belongs to my Dad, told him I'd have it back by eleven, good luck Nika."

Mikio and the two drivers that came with him left Akagi's summit parking lot leaving Project GT standing there to discuss the Night Wolves.

"I'm taking this challenge," Nika said with anger in her tone, "No way am I letting a bunch of cheaters on my mountain."

"Thought it wasn't your mountain anymore Nika," Gavin said with a chuckle, "That is what you told them isn't it?"

"I did, but the drivers that are there aren't cheaters and they also won't be able to stand up skill wise to them it seems," the brown haired girl said honestly, "I don't want anyone on that course but me and him, nothing against any of you, but I'm not letting him tear up more than my car."

"If he can get close enough, don't forget we all can pretty well stomp Mikio, not to bad mouth the amount of improving he's done, but even he admitted we're the faster four," Tatsuo said trying to calm everything down a little.

"Just because we're the faster doesn't mean they can't keep up and do something stupid Tatsuo," Reiko said quietly, "And don't forget that you and Nika are the slower pair."

The students spent the night coming up with a small plan to keep Nika and any bystanders safe, Tatsuo would follow about 15 seconds after the official start, he would have his radio on and Nika would be detailing the race as she drove it. After the plan was set the group split up and went about business as usual till Saturday came.

At nine thirty in the evening both the summit and lower parking lots were completely filled and people were lining both sides of Myogi's course. Tatsuo and Nika were getting her car prepped for the uphill race while Gavin made his way to the top and Reiko sat watching the crowds.

As ten o'clock rolled around the Night Wolves S15 lined up next to Nika's Z33. The drivers didn't bother with greeting each other, choosing to simply nod at Reiko who would start the race.

"FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE…GO!" Reiko shouted before the two cars flew past her leaving smoke trails behind them, the RX-8 waiting the promised 15 seconds before launching onto the course.

"Alright let's get going then," Nika said as she punched the throttle to the floor through the first two long corners.

The S15 kept up with the Z33 rather well until the first hairpins where the gap began to open due to the Night Wolves leader making a slight mistake that caused the car to slide more than expected in the first hairpin. Nika saw this just before sliding through the next hairpin and opening the gap just a little more. As the two cars flew through the longer open corners of the first section of the course the gap was opened even further, but still not enough to call the race early in the course.

"Tatsuo I hope you're rolling cause this is going to get fun," Nika said into her radio as she and the S15 behind her approached the multiple u-turns.

"I'm at the first hairpins, should I pick up the pace?" Tatsuo's voice asked through the radio.

"Yes, I don't know how long he's going to stay friendly," the brown haired girl replied just before hearing the RX-8's engine start to really scream through the radio.

Once they were clear of the u-turns the gap had closed and the S15 had more exhaust going into its engine than fresh air. As the two cars came out of the next corner the S15 tapped Nika's bumper just enough to disrupt her rhythm.

"Damn it all," Nika half shouted as she managed to keep the S15 behind her, "Tatsuo where are you?"

"I just cleared the last of the u-turns, and powering through the loop now," Tatsuo's voice replied.

"Get here faster he just hit me," the brown haired girl half shouted as the S15 once again hit her coming through the s-turns.

Nika floored the throttle and opened the gap enough to clear the next hairpin without incident, but the Night Wolves car caught up in the straight and tapped her again in one of the open corners causing her to lose traction just long enough to let the S15 pass her.

"SHIT!" she shouted as they flew through the long straight before the last hairpins, "Your ass is mine now."

Nika's entire driving style changed just as Tatsuo managed to catch up with the racing pair. Her lines were rough but fast, she quickly caught the S15 before they entered the last hairpins, the Z33 tapped the bumper on the S15 causing it to lose traction and the driver to yank his foot off the throttle, Nika flew past and stayed in the lead through the hairpins.

"Call me a cheater and I'll knock you on your ass just like the other guy," Nika muttered as she came into the downhill corner.

The Z33 cleared the final corner about a car length ahead of the S15 and as such Nika had just enough time to spread her car across the road, passenger side towards the front of the S15 as the SE3P crossed the line and pulled into the upper lot. The brown haired woman didn't even wait for her opponent to get out of his car before she started towards him.

"Just what the hell are you thinking!?" Nika shouted as the S15's door opened, "You could have killed me!"

"And what about you!?" the Night Wolves leader shouted back, "In a hairpin where I could have gone off the mountain."

"From what I saw you deserved it asshole," Tatsuo said from behind the S15.

"And just where the hell were you?" the black haired man asked with an angered tone.

"No more than a corner or two back and I had a radio in my ear telling me everything I needed to hear," Tatsuo said pulling out a tape recorder. "You swear that you won't play dirty again, and I won't play this tape for your teammates to hear."

"Yeah, because they seem pretty damned convinced that you're a clean racer," Mikio said stepping up to the rail on the upper parking area, "Even with all of the commentary from third party people in the corners that said otherwise."

"Alright, I'm not the cleanest racer on the record, but neither was she," the Night Wolves leader half shouted as he pointed towards Nika, "She hit me too after all."

"Call it revenge for denting my bumper," Nika said with an angered tone as she stepped closer to the black haired man who owned the S15, "And just how long ago did you total Taniguchi's Lan-Evo and your own S15 in the process?"

The Night Wolves Leader made no attempt to respond to the accusation, he also made no attempt to get away from it either.

"Okay, here's the deal, you have no choice but to follow it, you can have Myogi, I told you that already, but I hear so much as one rumor about a deliberate tap that doesn't involve you or one of your team backing out mid race, I'll come back here and end it personally," Nika said with the anger still in her tone, "Oh, and if I say I'm coming out here with my team, you clear the course, period."

"Alright then, looks like we have a deal," the black haired leader of the Night Wolves said loud enough to be heard by those in the immediate area.

"Alright, clear the course I just got word a second race started a couple minutes ago," Tatsuo shouted causing everyone to scramble and those with cars on the finish line to move them into the parking area.

Once the second race ended the crowds began to thin out, and Project GT also split up heading their own ways home. As Tatsuo and Reiko climbed from their cars in the family garage the brown haired girl stared at her brother's SE3P.

"Hey Tatsuo, how did you catch up to Nika and the Night Wolves leader tonight?" Reiko asked before her brother could leave the garage.

"Well I guess skill had a bit to do with it, but this body kit and the suspension upgrades helped out a lot too, the car felt so stable I was able to push it further than I used to," Tatsuo answered with a grin.

"Hey, since you've got your kit built and no one's called us the rotary twins in a while, what about having the kit we designed for my car built?" the black haired girl asked quietly.

"You've outrun me Reiko, this way I can keep up for a while," the black haired young man answered with a chuckle.

"I'm serious Tatsuo, now why won't you have my kit built?" Reiko asked getting slightly annoyed.

"Because, mine was built after the accident, Mom and Dad know about it yes, but I convinced them that Gavin and Nika paid for it and did it without my knowledge, only half true but it still works," Tatsuo answered, "If I got yours built without serious reason you know what they'll say."

"I know, but I feel so," Reiko paused to think about which word she wanted to use, "I don't know, left out, left behind or something like that."

Without waiting for Tatsuo to respond Reiko went into the house quietly leaving her brother standing alone with a very confused mindset. The black haired man stayed in the garage running over his mental calendar before picking up the phone and calling Gavin.

"Hey Gavin, we're going to give Reiko her SE3P's body kit for our birthday," Tatsuo said with a smirk while Gavin spoke, "No, she won't know anything about it, I'm gonna order the kit tonight, it should be done in a few days, two weeks tops, painted and all."

Tatsuo quickly sent the design plans for Reiko's RX-8 to the fabricators before heading to bed for what was left of the night. The next day Nika, Tatsuo and Gavin set up an easy plan for keeping Reiko away from her own car when the kit was supposed to be delivered.

As the day went on Reiko seemed a little out of her norm, her laps were slower than usual and her mood was a little bit gloomy compared to normal. Gavin pulled her away from the group after she climbed from the AW11 for the second time.

"Reiko, are you feeling okay?" Gavin asked noticing that the girl wouldn't even look him in the eye like normal.

"No, I just can't believe that Tatsuo and I are still so afraid of what our parents will say since Aniki took over the company," Reiko replied quietly, "It's just so irritating having to walk on egg shells just because Mom hates cars."

"If your Mom hates cars why did I see her driving your Dad's XK8 in Akina a few nights ago?" Gavin asked genuinely curious, "I know it was her because I had just gotten off the phone with your brother and heard your Dad in the background."

Reiko's eyes got wide, and Tatsuo who had just stepped into hearing range dropped the wrench he was holding.

"I guess you guys didn't know about that then," The buzz cut blonde said with a nervous laugh.

"She said she was at a meeting that night," Tatsuo said in a confused tone.

"She was in a meeting alright, the two sets of tires meet on the same pavement kind of meeting," Gavin said stepping back slightly, "Whoever was driving that grey S15 she went up against, she cleaned their clock pretty good."

"And you're sure it was Dad's car?" Reiko asked also still in shock, "Couldn't possibly have been some other Jaguar that looked like his?"

"Had time to read the front registration plate, it was his for sure," the buzz cut blonde responded normally.

Reiko and Tatsuo's attitudes both changed to distracted and closed off, more so in Reiko's case. Once the students were dismissed Reiko and Tatsuo immediately headed for their family home while Nika and Gavin explained the plan for Reiko's RX-8 to the staff.

"You want us to help this time?" Kyoko asked once the explanation of the plan was given.

"Yes ma'am, Tatsuo and I figure we'll only have a few hours from the time Nika leaves with Reiko, to get the RX-8 torn down, put back together and tested," the buzz cut blonde responded, "With just two sets of hands we're not sure we can pull it off."

"Tell us when and we'll do what we can to help then, that is what we're here for after all," the dirty blonde haired woman responded with a smile.

"No, we're here to teach them, but since they asked so politely, why not?" Wataru said with a quiet chuckle.

Neither Gavin nor Nika could get in touch with Tatsuo to tell him about the plan going smoothly thus far. They assumed he was at some family function since they couldn't reach Reiko either.

Over at the Sasaki house Reiko and Tatsuo were just pulling into the garage as their mother was about to leave for a meeting. Tatsuo deliberately parked behind his father's Jaguar XK8.

"Honey, please don't park there I'm already running late," Mrs. Sasaki said politely as her son stepped from his car.

"You're going to be very late Mom," Tatsuo said before looking to the tires on his father's car, "Hey Reiko, come look at these tires, I don't think these would be safe for her to drive on."

"No, they really don't," Reiko responded seriously after looking closely at the tires.

"Wow, just how did those get that way?" the graying woman asked with a false curiosity.

"How do you think they got that way? Tatsuo asked looking his mother in the eyes.

"Maybe they're just old, I don't keep track of that kind of thing," their mother responded nervously.

"Mom, these tires are only a month old, I know because I'm the one who took it to the shop that put them on," the black haired young man said in a cold tone.

"Really? Must be bad manufacturing I guess," Sakura said with a shrug, "Now I really am late, is there a point to all this?"

"Mom, these weren't cheap tires, you know better than that, I never put cheap tires on a car, these were the best money could buy and these things look like they've been driven in a few races," Tatsuo responded keeping his cold tone.

"Well maybe it was your father then, it is what he bought the damn thing for," The graying woman answered with a hint of anger creeping into her tone, "Regaining his youth my ass, he bought it just to spend a little money."

"Mom, we have a witness that saw this car racing in Mt. Akina," Reiko said finally joining the conversation

"How could there be a witness? I only," Mrs. Sasaki said a bit too quickly before catching herself, "I only drive it to meetings."

"Gavin saw this car, identified by its registration plates, in Akina a few nights ago around midnight," the black haired young woman responded remaining behind her mother so she couldn't get away, "You were the only one not home."

"Alright fine, you caught me, I've been racing since I was your age, I only make a few runs a month these days, but every now and then I'll take a challenge," Mrs. Sasaki said finally giving up the ruse, "And I know you two have been racing, I just didn't like the idea of you getting caught or killed doing it, so I laid the hammer down, maybe too hard, so just promise me that you'll be as careful as you can."

Tatsuo and Reiko both nodded before hugging their mother. Tatsuo moved his car into his usual space in the garage as their mother left to go to her meeting while Reiko went inside and went to bed. The next day the twins both seemed a little freer than ever before.

"Alright, you two are way too happy, even your lap times show it," Nika said as the twins came off the track for the last time of the day, "What happened last night?"

"Oh nothing, we finally got mother's approval on racing," Reiko replied with a nearly ear to ear smile, "We told her someone we knew spotted her on Akina and she's backing off her little soap box about cars and street racers."

"Gavin, if you get a challenge from our Mom, it's because we had to name who spotted her," Tatsuo said with a laugh.

"I'll look forward to that then," the buzz cut blonde said causing the rest of the students to laugh, "Oh and Tatsuo, I did as you asked, we're on."

"What does that mean?" Reiko asked after Tatsuo simply nodded.

"Just a small practice race in a new car once it gets here," Gavin lied trying to cover himself, "I overheard Fujiwara-sensei mention a new car, he made no mention of what kind of car it was, but he's agreed to letting Tatsuo and I drive it a couple laps a piece."

Reiko eyed the taller blonde carefully before shrugging, getting into her SE3P and leaving tread marks on the pavement as she drove out of the lot.

"Not bad Gavin, how did you pull that off? I thought she would be the only one who could tell if you were lying or not," Nika said with a quiet chuckle.

"I've gotten better at it since the last time I lied to her I guess," the buzz cut blonde responded seriously before climbing into his FD and leaving.

Nika stood in shock as her mind processed what she'd just heard from her fellow classmate.

"He told her one day after their tutoring session that he could never enjoy anyone's company as much as he did his girlfriend at the time," Tatsuo said as if reading the brown haired girl's mind, "Turns out they had broken up earlier that very day."

"You two have known him longer than I have, I didn't think he could lie," Nika replied with a short chuckle.

"Oh he's got a great poker face, he's okay with lying to someone he doesn't know, but he's always been pretty lousy at it, before now anyway," Tatsuo responded with a chuckle of his own.

About two days later the parts for Reiko's RX-8 arrived at the school from the fabricators. Gavin, Tatsuo and Wataru quickly moved the boxes and body pieces into the garage area while Takumi informed Nika of their arrival. When they came off the track for the last time Tatsuo's plan finally went into action.

"Hey Reiko, you want to come shopping with me? I need a new formal dress if I'm going to outshine Tatsuo next time we go somewhere formal," Nika asked with a laugh while the boys were changing back into their regular clothes.

"Sure, we can take my car," Reiko said with a happy tone.

"Nah, I'd rather take mine, you drove last time we went shopping, it's my turn," the brown haired girl said with a chuckle as Reiko's attitude became more and more like a kid in a candy store as she talked about what places they could go.

Right after Reiko and Nika had left the school parking lot Tatsuo moved his sister's car into the maintenance bay of the school's garage and each person began removing some part of the car's body. Tatsuo and Gavin worked on the two bumpers while Kyoko and Wataru took the side skirts off. A very short hour later Gavin started working on some of the suspension parts with Kyoko's help while Wataru and Tatsuo went about putting the new kit on. About three hours after the girls had left the school Gavin rolled Reiko's rebuilt RX-8 onto the course.

'_We're testing the car's limits start heading back in 20 minutes. We'll be in the garage with the GT cars. Tatsuo' _

Nika read the message while she changed back into her regular clothes at the fourth store the ladies had visited. She had picked up two new dresses and three total outfits, which was more shopping than the brown haired girl would normally do in a year as far as formalwear was concerned.

"Well, I've got twenty minutes before I need to get you back to the school, so what do we do till then?" Nika asked as she stepped from the dressing room with her latest picks over her left arm.

"I didn't know that you were on a time table, maybe we should get going," Reiko said a little saddened.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Nika asked sitting next to her classmate.

"It's nothing, it's just that mine and Tatsuo's birthday is tomorrow, not even Mom is planning anything and Gavin hasn't asked me to go anywhere," the brown haired girl responded quietly.

"Well how about this, I beat Gavin into taking you out and I'll take Tatsuo out the next day?" Nika asked with a chuckle.

Reiko giggled and nodded her agreement to the idea and the two ladies walked around a little bit before heading back to the track for Reiko to get her car. When they arrived Reiko didn't see her car anywhere in the lot and began to freak out since her brother's and Gavin's weren't there either.

Nika managed to calm her down enough to walk to the garage where her car and the two GT cars were waiting. A few steps before they got to the door they both heard the NSX's engine start up shortly followed by two rotary engines. The huge garage door slid open to reveal all three cars sitting together, the head lights of the two GT cars pointed towards the rebuilt RX-8.

Reiko stepped around the car as Gavin climbed out of its driver's seat. She took in all the details, the triangle cut around the radiator, the four smaller form cut holes off either side of the triangle, the top two of which held amber lights positioned just under the head lights, and the splitter was now molded into the front fender and had two small fins near the tires. The carbon fiber hood had the same two symmetrical holes as Tatsuo's with two smaller slots between the hood pins. The rear fender had two stacked fins just behind each rear tire that matched the skirts and front fenders. The spoiler was aluminum; its two tiers were about a hand's width apart and capped by painted metal pieces.

"See, we didn't forget you," Gavin whispered in Reiko's ear as she continued to stare at the car.

Reiko immediately turned and wrapped her arms around the buzz cut blonde, who simply returned the hug. After a few minutes the black haired girl finally let him go.

"You know, I can't take credit for this one, Tatsuo did most of it, I just put in a little wrench time," Gavin said with a chuckle, "Plus I wanted to take you out for your birthday."

Reiko thanked everyone before grabbing her keys from Gavin and nearly running the blonde haired man over with her newly rebuilt car as she tore onto the course. Keisuke chuckled just before flipping a large switch turning on the course's lighting system. The next day Gavin and Nika each gave Tatsuo a gift since Reiko had gotten her car rebuilt for her's. Nika's gift went with the promise that she and Tatsuo would go on a real date for his birthday the next day since they had school.

Two days after Reiko got her car, Tatsuo arrived at Nika's apartment wearing a simple blue suit and tie with a white button up shirt. Nika answered the door wearing a spaghetti strapped black dress, her hair straight and out of its usual pony tail.

"You look great Nika," Tatsuo said once he'd finally found his voice again, "Guess we're both a little more informal this time around."

"Well last time I ended up wearing your spare clothes to the hospital," Nika said with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"I promise that won't happen again," Tatsuo said with a chuckle as they walked towards his SE3P, "So where are we going first?"

"You pick the restaurant, I'm starving," Nika said laughing.

The two climbed into Tatsuo's SE3P and headed for a small out of the way restaurant that Tatsuo knew. It had blue carpets with light wood tables. When they sat down the waiter immediately brought a bottle of champagne to the table, before being quickly waved away by Tatsuo.

"You know we are old enough to drink right?" Nika asked quietly over the table.

"Yes, but my mother drinks too much, plus I'm driving tonight," Tatsuo chuckled, "That and I don't particularly care for alcohol of any kind."

The pair sat talking at the table for several hours after they ate, trading funny stories and even some advice on racing. Once they did leave the restaurant they headed for Akina. Nika didn't notice their destination till she saw a road sign along the side of the road.

"Why are we going to Akina?" the brown haired girl asked looking at Tatsuo.

"Ask the car, it's the one driving, my hands are on the wheel purely for legality's sake," the black haired man laughed as they took the exit to Akina's mountain pass.

As the SE3P made its way to Akina's summit, Nika noticed that with each corner they were gaining speed which for some reason made her smile. When they arrived at the lake Tatsuo quickly opened up Nika's door for her before leading her down to the end of the dock where the paddle boats were kept tied up.

"So I can't ask the car why we're here, so why don't you tell me?" Nika said with a quiet giggle as Tatsuo stared out at the lake and the star filled sky.

"It's peaceful here at night and I've been meaning to do some thinking," Tatsuo answered quietly.

"What does that mean?" the brown haired girl asked while stepping next to her date for the evening.

"You once asked me if calling you my girlfriend was such a bad thing," the black haired man said seriously, "And I find myself unable to answer that question."

"Then it's a good thing you don't have to," Nika said wrapping her arms around his chest, "I'm perfectly happy to answer it for you."

"I'm serious Nika," The black haired man was cut off when Nika kissed him.

Tatsuo's shock quickly gave way and he returned the kiss, even though it was only for a few moments both felt as though they were in heaven.

"So, what's next my lady?" Tatsuo asked with a slight chuckle.

"Well we could continue our date, or we could go back to my apartment and see what happens," Nika responded taking hold of Tatsuo's tie and leading him back to the car by it, "Or better yet you could be a gentleman and at least grant me one dance for the evening."

"You really like the fact I know how to dance don't you?" the black haired young man asked with a chuckle.

"Hey, I may be a total bitch when a race is concerned and sometimes at school too, but I also like to be treated like a lady," the brown haired young lady said with a chuckle as well.

Tatsuo opened the doors to the RX-8 and turned up the stereo and offered his hand to Nika just as the slow music began to fill the warm night air. As they moved around the car in their dance, the faint sounds of engines and tires screaming found their ears but were ignored for the moment they were sharing. When the music came to an end the couple shared another kiss under the moonlight.

"I always did love dancing," Tatsuo said with a smile once they broke their kiss, "Never kissed my dance partner before though."

"Now we just have to get Gavin to realize he really does love your sister," Nika laughed before getting in the gold machine just behind her, "But we can leave that for some other time," she added with a wink.

Tatsuo closed her door for her before getting in and driving the speed limit down to the old radio station that marked the starting point of the downhill course before slamming the accelerator to the floor and challenging the car and the course for all they were worth before slowing for the five hairpins and some traffic on the road. When they arrived at Nika's apartment Tatsuo locked the RX-8 and went in with her.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Alright Nika, you've got to get past him before the next corner," Keisuke's voice said calmly through the radio.

Nika maneuvered the vehicle around the last corner and pulled next to the lead car, a black RX-7. As they entered the final stretch of the race Nika managed to find just a little more acceleration coming out of the corner and passed the black vehicle cleanly on the inside.

"Nika you've just won us the GT300 championship!" Keisuke's voice shouted excitedly as she passed over the finish line.

"Nika, I know you're tired and all, but will you marry me?" Tatsuo's voice came over the radio just before everything went black.

Nika opened her eyes and saw that she was in her apartment, lying in her bed before noticing the smaller details, like the sound of breathing in her ear along with a heartbeat and an arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Having a good dream?" Tatsuo's voice asked quietly.

"Mhm," was the brown haired girl's only response as she just continued to lie on his chest, "Could you go to a wedding with me tomorrow?"

"Sure, but as much as I hate saying it, we have to be at school in a little while," the black haired man said sounding unwilling to move, "I'm just wondering who will notice first when we come in late together."

Nika's eyes shot open immediately and she jumped out of the bed without a second thought as they both readied themselves for an explanation of why they were not only arriving together, but in Tatsuo's case not returning home the previous night.

When Tatsuo and Nika arrived, no one but the staff was there as a phoenix red 2000 Mitsubishi Lan-Evo VI was making its way around the throttle course. As it came into its next lap the car accelerated hard through the first corners without so much as tapping the brakes until the long u-turn before the loop.

"Who is on the course Fujiwara-sensei?" Tatsuo asked as the two stepped next to their teacher.

"You'll recognize him as soon as he goes into the hairpin," Takumi responded with a quiet chuckle.

As the car entered the straight before the hairpin Tatsuo had already figured out whom the driver was because of a few of the lines they'd chosen in getting to that straight. Nika on the other hand watched the Lan-Evo slide nearly sideways through the hairpin before her mind snapped to Mikio's driving style.

"Mikio Taniguchi has finally made his return?" Tatsuo asked with a smirk.

"He came by just as I was opening the gate, asked to take a few laps to test and tune his new car," Keisuke responded from behind them with a smirk of his own, "If I asked why you two arrived together instead of Reiko being here with her brother, would I get a straight answer?"

"Probably not from either of us Sir," Nika said keeping her eyes on the Lan-Evo VI on the course as it came down the back stretch.

Once the Lan-Evo VI finished its lap it slowed to a regular road going pace before turning around and pulling into the pit area. The stocky bleach blonde man stepped from the car allowing it to idle quietly behind him to cool it down.

"I figured you'd be back sooner or later looking for Gavin and Reiko," Tatsuo said with a quiet chuckle.

"I'm not here for them yet and before you say anything I'm not back as a student either," Mikio answered with a similar chuckle, "Just came to tune up the new Lan-Evo and find its limits as well as mine in it."

"Why here?" Nika asked with genuine curiosity, "Why not practice in the mountains at night?"

"I came here because here I have access to the tools needed to tune the car the way I like it and I'd rather not wreck the car where I could get killed when I just got the thing," the stocky blonde said with an all out laugh, "Well anyway I've got to run, tell Reiko I'll be taking her on next in our races, okay?"

Without any response Mikio jumped into the Lan-Evo VI and drove off as if it were any normal day. Gavin and Reiko arrived shortly after and classes began as usual. Reiko was not nearly as concerned with why her brother had not returned home as Tatsuo had originally feared. Once class had been dismissed Tatsuo and Nika stayed behind to speak with at least someone on the staff.

"Fujiwara-sensei, Nika has invited me to attend a wedding with her tomorrow, we will be unable to attend classes because of this," Tatsuo said as formally as he knew how, "We are willing to make up the time if you deem it necessary."

"No need to be so formal Tatsuo-kun, I'll let the other staff members know," Takumi said with a half smile, "Now, if you'll excuse me I have some paper work to fill out."

"See, not so hard to get out of here for a day is it?" Nika asked with a sarcastic smirk.

"Yeah, but tomorrow we were supposed to be in the class room, the school's track had some potholes form since it was built and they were going to have them fixed," Tatsuo responded with a quiet chuckle at the brown haired girl's shocked appearance, "Let's get gone, if we're going to be at this wedding on time we're both going to need to sleep."

The next day Tatsuo arrived at Nika's apartment well before time to leave for the wedding. He removed his suit from the back seat of the car he'd borrowed from his mother before heading to the door and ringing the door bell. Nika answered the door still half asleep with her brown hair a mess and wearing a robe.

"I get the feeling I'm early," Tatsuo said with a slight chuckle after stepping through the door.

He received only a short groan as Nika dragged her feet back into her bedroom before the black haired man went to the small kitchen and started making coffee. After twenty minutes or so Nika came back out of the bedroom looking a bit more awake.

"Okay, why are you here this early?" the brown haired young woman asked taking the mug of coffee Tatsuo offered her.

"Needed to get out of the house, Mom was hung over and that's never a good thing especially with her and the cold November days not agreeing in the first place," the black haired man replied with a small grin, "Plus I really felt like being early since I have no idea where this wedding is."

"Oh hell, you're a morning person," Nika said still sounding half asleep.

"Nope, I just had two cups of coffee before I left," Tatsuo said with a chuckle.

The two spent a few more minutes talking before Nika went and started getting ready. While the brown haired girl was in the shower Tatsuo changed into the black suit he had in the bag. Nearly an hour after Tatsuo's arrival Nika stepped out of her bedroom wearing a simple yellow dress with a floral pattern around the bottom of the skirt and a matching pair of open toe shoes.

"I'm glad I brought a few ties," Tatsuo said removing the red one he had around his neck and grabbing the gold one from the bag, "And this time you'll outshine me."

"Reiko told you about that huh," Nika said with a slight blush.

"Yeah, though I can't see why you'd say something like that, I've always thought you outshined me when we went somewhere all dressed up," the black haired man replied with a smile, "Hell you outshine me in even the simplest outfits."

As the two walked out of the apartment Nika noticed that Tatsuo's RX-8 wasn't in the immediate parking area causing her to stop and look around.

"Tatsuo, where is your car?" the brown haired girl asked as her curled hair settled on her shoulders after pulling her coat a little tighter.

"I borrowed mom's car, figured the SE3P wouldn't look too good in a wedding parking lot," The black haired man answered with a chuckle as he walked towards a 2003 Toyota Aristo painted in silver.

Once they were on their way Nika directed her black haired classmate to the wedding's location. When they arrived at the small church Nika realized just how right Tatsuo had been not to bring his RX-8. There wasn't a single sports car in the small parking area.

After a few minutes of small talk and idle chatter Nika and Tatsuo finally made their way to their seats.

"So how is it you know these two?" Tatsuo asked as he walked a step behind his brown haired girlfriend looking at the stained glass windows.

"She worked at the bank for just over a year about two years ago, she and I got along quite well from the start, but I never expected to be invited to her wedding," Nika replied quietly just before the music started.

As the bride walked down the aisle the brown haired girl gasped at the dress as the slightly older woman walked by, the Preacher made a beautiful speech about love and living as one being; the only hiccup was when the young boy who carried the rings ran back down the aisle just after he gave the Preacher the rings, pillow and all, causing a small chuckle from the whole crowd, the bride and groom included. The reception was held in one of the church's gathering halls. Tatsuo and Nika walked in closely behind the bride's family while the bride and groom were with the photographer.

"What do you mean the cellist is sick?" the mother of the bride hissed quietly, not realizing Tatsuo and Nika were close by, "You know the father daughter dance has a cello solo."

"I'm sorry ma'am, he called us this morning sick as a dog," the violinist of the small orchestra answered in a hushed tone, "We didn't have any time to get a new man."

The mother of the bride began to speak again but was silenced by the announcement that the bride and groom were outside before starting up again. Nika tried to walk away from the small argument that had broken out about not having a cello for the father daughter dance, but Tatsuo seemed to be planted in his spot listening rather intently watching both them and the bride and groom entering the room.

"Excuse me, I happen to play the cello, would either of you mind if I sat in to fill the gap?" Tatsuo asked the arguing pair in a hushed but calm tone.

The mother of the bride seemed to be apprehensive at first but it seemed his confident tone won the orchestra leader over forcing her to agree to keep from causing a huge scene on her daughter's special day. The black haired young man stepped up and picked up the cello the group had with them and plucked each string a few times. Nika was impressed that he would even get involved in such a thing, even more so that he seemed to respect the cello more than the people involved in the small argument. Tatsuo played the songs on the list and even requested a couple songs that wouldn't require him to play the cello while he danced with Nika a few times.

"Is there something about the male ego that makes them want to be the hero?" Nika asked as the couple made their way back to her apartment.

"I wouldn't know, I just wanted those two to stop arguing before the bride saw everything falling apart just because of an overly concerned mother," Tatsuo said with a laugh as he maneuvered the Aristo off the expressway.

"Well the bride did notice a man with a suit in the orchestra instead of the white tuxedo, but I don't think she minded too much since apparently you were better than the other guy," The brown haired girl said with a smile as she placed her hand on the hand he had rested on the shifter.

Tatsuo simply chuckled and turned his hand over giving her's a gentle squeeze before returning it to its original place on the shifter.

"Why did you start playing the cello?" the brown haired girl asked quietly.

"I've always liked music, according to my Dad I would sit with him and just listen to symphony music all afternoon when I was two or three," the black haired man smiled, "I think I started when I was about five playing this little toy violin Mom bought for Reiko, who completely ignored it. I didn't start playing the cello until my first year of middle school though."

"So you play both violin and cello?" Nika asked sounding slightly surprised.

"Surprisingly I'm better at the cello," Tatsuo shrugged with a chuckle as he maneuvered through the Sasaki house driveway.

"Why are we here?" the brown haired girl asked as they entered the garage area.

"Wanted to get my car, this thing drives like a tug boat," the black haired man laughed before they switched into his SE3P and headed back to her apartment.

Tatsuo spent most of what was left of the day at Nika's apartment telling his stories and listening to some of her's before receiving a text from one of his sources at Irohazaka about a race between Mikio and the GC8 he'd lost to a couple months before.

At the school the following day Tatsuo went through what the text message had said, including the fact the race was going to be held at Mt. Myogi. Gavin was the first to bring up the approval of the Night Wolves team.

"Don't they have to go through Nika to approve a race or did I misunderstand the end of that deal?" the buzz cut blonde asked sitting on one of the school's guardrails.

"They have to clear out if we have a race there, or when we want to do a practice meet, but races from outside I left to them," the brown haired girl replied sitting down next to him, "But being this is the first time I've heard anything about it I'm going to assume that they know that."

"So we are going right? I mean Mikio may not be the greatest guy ever but I'd like to see his improvements between races," Reiko said gaining everyone's attention.

"I wouldn't mind finding out why he chose Myogi, he's raced there before but logically speaking racing the guy in Akagi would be better for him since he wants to race Reiko next," Nika said before turning her attention to the approaching staff members making the other students do so as well.

"So, who wants to take the trainers first?" Kyoko asked once all eyes were on the staff members, no one noticing that Keisuke and Takumi were oddly absent from the line up yet.

"I'll take first run in the AW11 Takahashi-sensei," Reiko said with a nod as she headed into the changing areas.

"I guess I can take first go at the Cosmo today," Nika said getting off the guardrails so she could also get changed.

Once the two women were on the track Gavin noticed that Wataru and Kyoko were on the radios. He also noticed that the yellow FD belonging to her husband as well as the white S2000 were absent from the staff parking area near the maintenance bay and a blue 2000 Subaru Outback sport was in the S2000's usual space.

"Fujiwara-san, where are Takahashi-sensei and your husband today?" The buzz cut blonde asked as Natsuki was coming back over the guardrail.

"They were out looking for a race all night last night, so they're probably in bed still," the brown haired woman said with a quiet chuckle while continuing to walk away.

Gavin and Tatsuo simply shrugged this off and continued to watch the girls make their laps. Once the driver change out was made in proper Super GT form, changing out drivers during the pit stops, the men did their own three laps each. After doing this several times throughout the day they were dismissed for the day.

"Okay so are we going to Myogi for this race or not?" Reiko asked before anyone could get into their cars.

"Well I already said I'm in, so we can make it a girl's night if the boys don't want to come," Nika said with a laugh.

"I'm interested to see if Mikio can win against whoever this guy is, that GC8 did trounce him pretty good at Irohazaka," Gavin said seriously before looking to Tatsuo.

"I guess I'm in too, let's all stake out different corners, see what happens along the course, then we meet at the bottom once it's over with," Tatsuo said with a sly smirk.

"How about we just stay at which ever finish line they'll end at?" Gavin said with a smirk after getting nods of agreement from the two girls.

Tatsuo just shook his head, climbed into his SE3P which was already idling behind him and drove off. Gavin, Nika, and Reiko shortly followed suit.

Once the students were out of the parking area Kyoko called the staff into a meeting where she would explain why her and Natsuki's husbands were out for the day.

"So what's going on Kyoko?" Nobuhiko asked once they were all in the meeting room and seated.

"Keisuke and Takumi got a call last night during dinner, the call came from Tomoyuki Tachi to come and race a couple of his students from Todo Juku to give them a small dose of humility, but they got recognized before the races could get started," Kyoko responded, "Tomoyuki took over the school after he retired from his professional racing career."

"Okay, so why the staff meeting over that?" Wataru asked getting ready to get up.

"Because they managed to set it up so our students would race the Todo students at a neutral race location," Kyoko said with a slightly agitated tone.

"When is the challenge? And will we be involved?" Nobuhiko asked also sounding annoyed at Wataru's slight show of disrespect.

"One week from Saturday and only the mechanics will have any involvement once on location, it's only going to be an uphill and a down hill. Keisuke and Takumi are going to work through this Sunday picking a neutral course that isn't ridiculously too far for either team," the brown haired woman paused to let that sink in, "The students of both Todo and this school will only be informed of the mountain the day of the race so that there won't be any sneaking off to practice and gain an advantage."

"Okay so we tell them they have a race, but even when we find out where it is we can't tell them, should be fun," Wataru said with a chuckle.

With this the remaining staff members were dismissed for the day while the mechanics went and did the maintenance on the trainer cars.

The Saturday of Mikio's race arrived and passed rather quickly before each of the students made their way to the bottom parking lot of Mt. Myogi, the official finish line of the race between Mikio and the black GC8.

"So do we have to clear the course since you're here or are you just here for the race?" a man about 5'10" tall with shoulder length black hair asked leaning against his black S15.

"We're here for the race Night Wolf, no need to clear a path tonight," Nika responded coldly remembering what the man had done to the bumper of her Z33, "Did these two ask for the course tonight?"

"Mikio Taniguchi did, he's driving a Lan-Evo VI in tonight's downhill," the black haired man replied calmly, "Apparently he knows you Queen of Myogi." He added with a snide tone.

"He knows me, he's raced me, and he's lost to me, now would you stop calling me Queen of Myogi? It's really annoying," Nika replied, her irritation with the man clear in her tone.

The man was about to reply when the radios around them started calling out the race details as Mikio slid into the lead place coming off the line. As the two cars approached the uphill right Mikio's new Lan-Evo VI slid out just a little to block the corner a bit before flying up the rest of the hill onto the downhill section.

At the bottom of the pass corner reports were coming through the many radios in the area mostly saying that Mikio was making good time and still doing pretty fantastic things keeping the GC8 behind him. Nika and Tatsuo found themselves rooting for Mikio more and more as they cleared the course.

As they approached the third hairpin set on Myogi's downhill Mikio was fighting with everything he had to keep the black GC8 firmly behind him. Entering the first left hand hairpin the stocky blonde just overshot the braking point and went just wide enough for the GC8 to take the better line and take the lead for the first time in the race.

'_Damn, okay my turn to turn on the pressure,' _Mikio thought as the two cars flew through the short straight nearly bumper to bumper.

Mikio kept his place on the GC8's bumper as they cleared the second hairpin of the set. As they entered the third the stocky blonde noticed his opponent make the same mistake he'd made and shot back into the lead as they cleared the hairpin.

"Well, that was lucky," Gavin chuckled as the reports continued to come through the radios around them.

"Why was that luck?" Reiko asked sounding more curious than the annoyed expression on her face showed.

"Because he managed to lose and retake the lead all in the same set of corners, and it was because the GC8 either missed the braking point, which happens to be the same way Mikio lost the lead, or the GC8 just plain screwed up in the corner, which no one said he did," Gavin explained with a somewhat patronizing grin on his face.

As the two cars came closer to the finish no one on the mountain that night knew who would win this race. The GC8 was trailing by only half a car as it and the Lan-Evo VI cleared the last corner and started down the home stretch. Mikio managed to hold the lead spot till they crossed the finish line.

After most everyone else had left, Mikio and a couple of his Emperors were still in the lower lot with Project GT and the Myogi Night Wolves.

"Listen, I know that none of us are on the friendliest terms, but I was wondering if we could just have a friendly gathering at New Years or something," Mikio said leaning on the hood of the Lan-Evo.

"Well where ever you decide to hold it, Project GT will try to be there," Gavin replied after a short discussion amongst his classmates.

"The Night Wolves will too," the black haired leader of the team replied as well.

"Well I was hoping we could hold it here and also invite that team that races in Usui that I've been hearing a few things about," Mikio said suddenly finding his shoes interesting.

"Well, I'm game if the Queen is," The Night Wolves leader said with a chuckle as every one of the Emperors looked at him confusedly.

"Yeah, I'm sure we can arrange that, the team in Usui is the Sparks by the way," Nika replied glaring at the slightly taller man, "And I told you to stop calling me that, next time you get laid on your ass."

After a short discussion and Nika having a few more choice words with one of the Night Wolves about calling her 'Your Majesty' the three teams went their separate ways.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The Monday after the race in Myogi the students were all heading back to the school's private track after a long day of doing proper pit stop driver changes after driving for 10 laps at a time. Gavin was the first to notice that their instructors were waiting for them patiently.

"Alright, now that you're all here we have an announcement to make," Takumi said as the students leaned against the guardrails and gave the staff their full attentions.

"Don't make any plans for Saturday night, you have a race against another school in Tochigi," Keisuke said getting straight to the point.

"Okay, where is the course and how involved is this with the school?" Gavin asked in a rather cavalier tone.

"The course will be announced to both schools Saturday to prevent an unfair advantage from arising, the staff of both schools will have mechanics on site for each driver, no other involvement will be had from the staff of either," the spiky bleach blonde said patiently ignoring Gavin's tone, "We will however be there to observe and maintain a professional environment."

"Kyoko and Wataru will be two of the mechanics for the race, the racers will be decided when we get there so all of you will make practice runs," Takumi added calmly, "You'll also have Thursday and Friday off as well as Saturday until 6 o'clock when you will meet us here before we travel to Tochigi."

"And as a rule of thumb, no going to Tochigi unless you're challenged by Mr. Taniguchi," Kyoko said with a laugh just before dismissing the students for the day.

As the week went by the students spent the remaining two class days practicing on the track with their own cars, and spent the nights at Mt. Usui and Mt. Myogi's mountain passes with Kyoko and Wataru and the support vans that still had Project D written on the doors. When Thursday rolled around the students were released to do their own things and rest up for the major race on Saturday.

"Tatsuo is there anything you want to do?" Reiko asked poking her head into her brother's room on Friday morning.

"I can't go anywhere, I've got a cello student coming in about ten minutes," the black haired man replied checking his watch, "Sorry Reiko, I know you're bored but I set a few things up to make up for a couple missed lessons and such."

"It's okay, maybe I'll call Nika or something," the black haired young girl said with a miserable tone as she left.

Nika was just finishing her third movie of the day when her phone rang with Reiko's name showing up on the screen.

"Hey Reiko what's up?" the brown haired girl said happily into the phone.

"Nothing much, look I wanted to know if you wanted to meet up with me and a couple of my friends and do a little shopping and just hang out, I'm bored out of my head at home," Reiko's voice replied with an almost pleading tone.

"Yeah sure," Nika said happy to finally get out of her own apartment for something other than work for a while, "Just how many friends are we talking about here though?"

"Just you, me and two more, there would be a third if the other girl I invited wanted to get away from her boyfriend," Reiko responded with a quiet laugh.

About an hour later Nika walked into the food court of a mall and she immediately spotted Reiko sitting with two girls seemingly having a good time just chatting away. When the brown haired young woman got to the table Reiko immediately introduced her friends as Ayumi and Emiko. Both appeared to be from money, and both also looked at Nika's simple blue jeans and long sleeve t-shirt with a small amount of disgust.

"So Nika-san, Reiko won't tell us what you do besides race with her," Ayumi, a brown haired young girl in a mini skirt and tank top under a small jacket said.

"If you mean where my money comes from I work at a bank, if you mean what I do with Reiko, that's our business," Nika replied in a similar tone to the one the girl had used, one with a rather large amount of disdain in it, even chuckling to herself when the girl seemed to wince at the word 'work'.

"Well that explains your sense of style," Emiko, a bleach blonde girl wearing a similar outfit to Ayumi's.

"Now listen if you two won't be nice I'll leave you and go with her, she's my teammate, my friend and my brother's girlfriend, you two are just friends," Reiko said in an admonishing tone meaning she was serious.

The comment gained both girls' attentions immediately and both slowly nodded. Nika noticed that both the blonde haired girl and her friend had looks of total disbelief that their black haired friend would talk in such a way. Reiko was now simply playing with one of the many curls in her long black hair as though it never happened.

"Shall we get to why we came?" Reiko asked getting up from the table.

The four girls seemed to just walk for a little while before starting to go into stores and pick out new things to try on and buy. As the day progressed Nika was being helped by Emiko in their third store of the day, Reiko and Ayumi already had several bags each, Emiko had two while Nika hadn't bought anything at all yet.

"Mahara-san, do you intend to buy anything today or are you really having fun just window shopping?" Emiko asked with a small giggle as they went through a small selection of dresses.

"I rarely wear mini skirts, or dresses for that matter," Nika responded quietly, "When I do it's usually a formal affair, I like comfortable clothes that don't get in the way of my driving."

"Such a tomboy, how about this? You let me pick a couple things for you and we'll see what you think," the blonde asked with a genuine smile and a slight chuckle, "You don't have to get it if you don't like it and you don't have to wear it when you're driving if you do."

"I don't know, you don't know me that well, you don't know what I like," the brown haired girl replied beginning to shift her weight a bit.

"It's because I don't know you that would make it work, I can be objective and it won't hurt my feelings if you don't like something, you just need to tell me what colors you like."

"Oh okay, I like reds and blues more than anything but I look okay in yellows too," Nika said before walking over to one of the chairs and waiting for the blonde to pick some things for her.

After about ten minutes of waiting Nika was handed a few skirts and tops before she stepped into the dressing room. After a few tries at it the blonde finally managed to find something Nika liked and felt comfortable in. The brown haired young woman stepped out wearing a strapless dark red knee length dress that was tight fit in the top but very loose from the waist down.

"That looks good on you Mahara-san, how does it feel?" Emiko asked leaning on one of the racks.

"It feels okay, I guess this is one of those things I won't be driving in," Nika answered with a small but noticeable blush on her cheeks.

"It might look silly at those race events huh?" the blonde asked with a small giggle.

Nika only nodded in response before stepping back into the small changing room and putting her long sleeve t-shirt and pants back on before rejoining the other three young women. They spent another hour or two at the mall, Emiko spent the time talking to Nika about the races as well as continuing to pick a few things for the brown haired young woman when they found a store to shop in, only a two or three of which Nika ended up actually buying.

Reiko and Ayumi seemed off in their own conversation, though Nika could have sworn that she saw Ayumi glare at her as they walked along and she probably thought no one was looking. Reiko took notice of the looks Ayumi was giving them both, but chose not to say anything about it till a later time in a more private setting.

Nika and Reiko walked out of the mall together with their bags in hand. Nika found her 350Z first and quickly placed her bags in her car before continuing to walk with Reiko to her RX-8.

"Reiko, what was the deal with Ayumi-chan today?" the brown haired woman asked as she spotted the harvest gold SE3P.

"I don't know, normally she's a lot nicer to new people, maybe it's because you got Tatsuo instead of her," Reiko said seriously just before opening the trunk of her car.

"She was after Tatsuo?" Nika asked in a shocked tone, "Why didn't he go out with her?"

"She is, and he did, but for some reason he just never called her again after the second time, said that they were just too different," the black haired girl replied leaning against her car and playing with her curls.

"I can see why he would think that, she winced when I said the word work and Tatsuo wants an honest job either playing the cello or driving professionally," the brown haired girl said with a slight chuckle, "I hope this means I didn't make an enemy today though."

"You didn't, Ayumi is just a sore loser, I don't think she would ever actually do anything to break you and Tatsuo up just cause you got him and she didn't."

"Hey, I've got an idea," Nika said making sure she had her teammate's full attention, "Let's go to the track, and get some practice in."

Reiko nodded and they both jumped into the SE3P so Nika could retrieve her car all the faster. About an hour later they were at the school and the large door to the GT car storage bays were open as well as the maintenance bays for the school's trainer cars.

"Akiyama-sensei is here," Reiko said pointing towards the AE86 Levin parked in the staff area, "Hey maybe we can try and get in some time in the GT cars."

"I don't think so Ms. Sasaki, since it's only the technical staff on site we have no medical team here. You crash, you're toast in both the fact you could die and the fact you would get kicked out of the school," Wataru said from behind them making both of them jump, "Though if you want to take your own cars be careful of the long straight before the hairpin, I hit a patch of ice there this morning."

"Thank you Akiyama-sensei," Nika said bowing slightly after turning towards Wataru.

"And the trainers are also available if you want," Wataru said with a slight chuckle, "We were just re-tuning the engine in the AW11."

"No thank you Sir, I think we'll just head our separate ways from here," Reiko said also bowing slightly.

"Well I'm going to go home, I've got two new dresses and a couple new bags, and I'm tired, tell Emiko-chan that if she wants to come to my next race she's more than welcome," Nika said as the two got back to their cars.

"Yeah, I'm going to call Ayumi and make damn sure she's over Tatsuo, something about the way she acted today really has me worried," Reiko replied walking towards the front of her car and sitting on her hood as she dialed the brown haired girl's number and watched the Z33 drive out of the school's parking area.

"Hey Reiko, you just left, what has you calling me already?" Ayumi's voice asked through the phone.

"I'm calling because of all those glares you were sending Nika's way and you cold shouldering her pretty much the whole time we were at the mall too," Reiko replied calmly.

"Look just because I glare at her doesn't mean anything, I just don't like how she talks to us is all," Ayumi replied sounding a little agitated.

"Ayumi, she's my friend and Tatsuo's girlfriend. Is there something so wrong with her talking to us with the same respect she shows nearly everyone we've met?"

"She talks like she's got just as much money and deserves a man like Tatsuo, Reiko you should know she's not right for him."

Reiko nearly fell off the hood of her car from what her supposed friend had just said, taking several seconds to even remember she was on the phone much less respond to such a statement.

"Listen, my brother is happy with Nika, if you have a problem with that and try to change their relationship in anyway, so help me I'll tell Nika who did it and let her have at you," the black haired girl said in such a cold tone that it was Ayumi's turn to be silent.

"Okay fine, but if he comes to me I'm not making any promises," the girl's voice was loaded with an arrogance that annoyed Reiko to no end.

"I'm pretty sure you're more afraid of me than Nika so I'll just put it this way, Nika's temper scares my old tutor and you know him pretty well, so stay away from Tatsuo and Nika, as a friendly warning," Reiko said before hanging the phone up without getting the girl's response.

Reiko left the school and headed straight back to her home to at least try and warn Tatsuo about Ayumi. When she arrived Tatsuo was in the garage looking as though he'd been waiting a few minutes.

"So I just got a funny little phone call from a girl, it was Ayumi, and for some reason she's under the impression that I've wanted to start seeing her again," Tatsuo said with a more concerned than angry tone, "She also seems under the impression that Nika and I aren't serious about each other."

Reiko's face went from one of concern to anger in a heart beat as she turned and was about to step into her SE3P yet again, before being stopped by her brother.

"Reiko, what happened at the mall?" the black haired man asked running a hand through his now chin length black hair.

"I told her that you and Nika were dating, even introduced her as your girlfriend, what the hell she's up to now, I have no clue Tatsuo, I warned her to stay clear, but it seems she didn't listen," Reiko replied fiddling with one of her black curls, "Nika is going to flip over this."

"Nika won't be finding out about this unless Ayumi or I tell her and I have a funny feeling Ayumi already found a way to, now I've got to go straighten her out, I'll be back for dinner."

Tatsuo got in his SE3P and left in a small cloud of tire smoke as he tore off down the drive. Reiko was steamed and ready to kill something so she waited a few minutes before heading over to Gavin's to play a couple of the first person shooter games he had at his apartment for the students who were waiting for their parents after their lessons.

Meanwhile at a small diner just outside of Maebashi, Tatsuo sat staring through the window at a poorly hidden pearl blue Nissan Z33 at the edge of the small lot in a dark corner. He'd noticed it coming in and recognized the registration plates to be Nika's. He just hoped she wouldn't see whatever it was Ayumi had in mind.

"Hey Tatsuo, thanks for coming," Ayumi said as she sat down next to him instead of on the other side of the booth.

"Look I came to straighten this out, I have a girlfriend, I am very serious about the relationship and I've honestly never been happier than I am with Nika," Tatsuo said in a rather cold tone not even bothering to greet the girl.

"Listen I just want you to think about what a girl like that would do to your reputation," Ayumi said with a faked frown all while looking out at the Z33.

In the blue Nissan outside Nika was ready to go in and strangle the girl for getting so close to Tatsuo, but as she sat there she also noticed the hard face Tatsuo had been wearing since the other girl had arrived so she knew that whatever it was Ayumi was playing at wasn't working.

"Ayumi, my reputation is my business, and Nika and I is not yours, you and I are too different to work, you want to coast through on who ever has the most money, I want to work for mine," Tatsuo said starting to lose his calm tone.

Ayumi simply snuggled closer forcing Tatsuo to move his arm around her to keep it from being crushed into his ribs. The brown haired girl leaning against him then simply leaned up and kissed him as he turned to look at something.

"That is it!" Nika half shouted as she jumped out of her car and ran into the diner only to find Ayumi on the floor near an over turned table and Tatsuo sitting in the booth as if nothing happened at all and everyone in the place staring at the two of them.

"Care to join me Nika?" Tatsuo asked with a grin as she came closer.

Nika simply nodded and sat down beside him as Ayumi continued to stare at the two of them with a bewildered look on her face. When every thing started to go back to normal within the diner the brown haired girl finally stood up and sat back down across from the couple.

"Okay, you stop dating him and I won't make your life hell, and I get to have Tatsuo," Ayumi said trying her hardest to split the two up. Nika simply moved closer and Tatsuo wrapped his arm around her.

"How about this instead? You stay away from me and Tatsuo and I don't leave whatever is left of you in a ditch somewhere. Reiko said you wouldn't try something like this, I guess she really doesn't know you," Nika said with an evil grin.

"What do you see in this bitch Tatsuo?" Ayumi asked forgetting all about diplomacy.

"The girl you see is a bitch, the girl I see is willing to fight for what she wants, you on the other hand want everything handed to you, and I don't care for that type of girl," Tatsuo responded with a chuckle.

"What about Reiko? She's just like me isn't she?" the brown haired girl said thinking she finally had a leg up on the couple.

"Reiko may like to be doted upon once in a while, but she too is willing to fight for what she wants, including going as far as wanting to kill you herself for what you tried here tonight, plus she's my twin sister, it's a different kind of caring," the black haired man replied with an even bigger laugh, "Now if you will excuse us we're going to go practice for our race this Saturday."

Without response Nika and Tatsuo got up and left Ayumi sitting dumbfounded in the diner as they made their way to Myogi's summit. Tatsuo caught Nika's side of a phone conversation with the Night Wolves leader telling them to clear the course for the rest of the night through the radio he'd given the whole team some time ago. When they arrived at Myogi's summit the road was completely cleared out and no one, not even traffic cars were around despite it only being seven o'clock at night.

"So what happened between her kissing you and her ending up on the floor? Because I was running into the place and couldn't see," Nika asked as she leaned on the SE3P's hood.

"About halfway through I figured out that you were supposed to 'catch' us, so I shoved her out of the booth and away from me in one swift move," Tatsuo said shrugging, taking a seat right next to her, "I'll admit I didn't mean for her to fly into the other table, but I was a little pissed off."

"And you weren't even gentleman enough to let me yank her off you by the hair, what kind of boyfriend are you?" the brown haired young woman replied jokingly while playfully slapping Tatsuo on the arm.

"I just didn't want to have to bury a body Nika," the black haired man laughed as he stood up and moved in front of Nika.

The two just stared at each other for a few minutes before Nika made a move and kissed the tip of Tatsuo's nose making them both laugh as Tatsuo just moved a little closer and placed his hands on the hood of the car at Nika's sides forcing the brown haired young woman to lean back slightly.

"You know, I did tell Reiko that I'd be home for dinner, so why don't you come with me and make the evening halfway enjoyable?" Tatsuo asked smiling, his forehead just lightly touching Nika's.

"I have just the outfit if we have time to get back to my place," Nika laughed as she slipped out from under him to her car.

"The way you drive this mountain, we should be just fine," the black haired man laughed before climbing into his car.

As the SE3P chased the Z33 as they flew down Myogi's pass, Tatsuo pushed one of his CDs into the player and heard Nika laugh as she heard the cello playing a rock n' roll tune through the radio ear piece. The two spent a few minutes at Nika's apartment while she changed and then went to spend dinner with Tatsuo's family only to find that Reiko wasn't there and wouldn't be home for dinner.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

As the Saturday of the race came around Gavin spent the early morning hours before the sunrise laid out on the carbon fiber hood of his toreador red 2000 Mazda RX-7 at Mt. Akina's summit lake, he spent most of the day light hours driving rather aimlessly. Reiko remained at the buzz cut blonde's apartment still playing the video games she had started the night before. Tatsuo was at his family home playing one of Mozart's symphonies on his cello as the rest of the orchestra played through the speakers of his computer. Nika sat in her apartment just waiting for the time to leave to come around while flipping through the channels on her television.

The students arrived at the school at five o'clock that evening and noticed five vans sitting in the parking area. The rear hatch was open on all of them. Four of the five vans were loaded with all kinds of different tools and each held two sets of tires laid in the remaining space of the floor. The fifth van had nothing but tires neatly stacked into racks all the way to the backs of the front seats.

"Alright, each of you get your cars into the maintenance bay and get a fresh set put on, then we'll go over where we're headed and who will be working with who," Keisuke said stepping around from in front of one of the vans.

The students scrambled back to their cars and moved them to the maintenance bay where the mechanic staff had gained two extra hands just for this event. Gavin was the only one who took notice of the two new men but decided it best not to say anything.

Once the cars were returned to their owners in the parking area, each one was parked behind a van specified by Keisuke. All the students and staff had gathered now only a half hour away from their designated time to leave so Takumi started going over the rules the students were to follow.

"Okay, since we have some time before we need to go, let's go over where we're going and how we're going to go about it," The brown haired man said making sure he had at least the students' attentions, "We're going to Nichien-Momiji line, since we're going as a team each of your cars will follow the van your car is currently parked behind, and the fifth van will bring up the rear."

Keisuke took notice of the small briefing and chuckled at his long time friendly rival and teammate, being one of the few in the lot who knew just how uninterested Takumi Fujiwara was in cars, and how much the man hated being the center of attention. The spiky haired blonde thought now would be the time to introduce the two new mechanics, so he waved them over and walked towards the class.

"Alright, Nika you will work with Wataru, Tatsuo you'll work with Kyoko," Keisuke paused as the two people he'd named moved towards the cars they would work on, "Gavin, you'll have my mechanic from Project D, his name is Tomiguchi."

Gavin took notice of the man as he walked towards his FD; he was about the same height as the blonde and he wore his long hair back in a high pony tail off the back of his head. At the time the man was wearing a simple white t-shirt and jeans as well as a thin framed pair of glasses.

"I guess that leaves me the other SE3P then, right Keisuke?" the only mechanic left, a rather tall black haired man wearing the same t-shirt as the other but had on a pair of coveralls tied off at his waist, asked with a serious tone.

"Yes Matsumoto," the spiky bleach blonde said with a chuckle, "Reiko, you're going to be paired with Takumi's old mechanic."

The team left the school with Keisuke's FD and Takumi's S2000 leading the group towards the Tochigi prefecture. Natsuki and Kyoko rode with their husbands while the remaining staff took the vans.

When they arrived it was just after eight o'clock in the evening and the team that ran Momiji line had blocked the road about a half mile from the downhill finish line. Keisuke told them why they were all there, the two cars immediately moved from the path and allowed the team to move to the downhill finish line.

Once they arrived the students noticed almost immediately that there were a lot more cars in the area than they thought there would be. Keisuke had them park and turn off their cars before gathering all of the students and current race staff in one area.

"Okay our practice starts at nine, you'll all be on the course at once when we start out, once practice is over that's when we'll pick who races tonight and since we won't be able to observe their runs. Tomoyuki has already agreed to have his students clear out of the course to make it a little more even knowledge wise, we don't know them so they won't know us," Keisuke said loud enough to only be heard by the team, "Once we start Tatsuo and Reiko will head up, turn around and come right back down once their vans are parked and the mechanics are ready. Nika and Gavin, you two will be uphill for tonight so you'll have to come back down here to start."

Each student nodded as did the four mechanic crew.

"Alright, you've got till eleven thirty to practice and get the course in your mind, so while we wait for the Todo students to finish the drivers will watch a video of the course while the mechanics get things ready as best as possible," Takumi said taking over the briefing as well as bringing it to an end.

Around nine o'clock the whole team moved to the top of the course. They noticed that no one was on the course, not even bystanders, but they figured the crowd would fill in once race time was closer. When they arrived at the small summit parking area just as they had done at the bottom each car parked directly behind the designated van. They were all greeted by a black haired man who seemed rather friendly with Keisuke and Takumi.

"Students this is Tomoyuki Tachi, he's chief of the Todo racing school," Keisuke said calmly as his class bowed politely.

"In case you don't already know you'll have full run of the course until eleven thirty, it will give you and your team the same amount of practice time that my students have had for the evening," Tomoyuki said also seeming rather calm about the whole thing, even though inside he knew that everyone was excited to see what would happen.

The students of Ryosuke's school went back to their cars before Nika and Gavin made their way down the mountain to start their uphill runs while Tatsuo and Reiko waited until the go was given and then began their trek down the pass.

As Nika and Gavin made their way through the section with the lidless gutters it was obvious to Tomiguchi that the buzz cut blonde he was riding with was taking it rather easy as he patiently ran up the hill behind the blue Z33. On the opposite end of the course Tatsuo and Kyoko were leading Reiko and Matsumoto down the easier corners of the course.

Keisuke and Takumi were waiting at the top of the mountain with Natsuki and Tomoyuki, all of them having a rather pleasant conversation about the race in Happogahara nearly seven years before, including the fact that Takumi probably won because of the critter that crossed in front of the racers just before the finish line.

When Gavin and Nika pulled into the small parking area they each parked behind their vans and discussed the settings with their mechanics before they started working. Reiko and Tatsuo arrived back at the top just as Gavin was leaving to take another run uphill.

As the buzz cut blonde made his way quickly to the bottom, this time without Tomiguchi in the passenger seat, he was drifting through each of the corners just seemingly having fun with the course. As he cleared the first long straight of the course near its mid point, he tightened his grasp on the steering wheel and flew into the following left handed corner and held the throttle nearly wide open through the right handed u-turn before reaching the more difficult section of the course and tackling each corner with seeming ease.

Reiko was currently coming down the mountain a good amount of time behind her classmate, barreling through the first easier corners of the course at about half racing speeds with Nika close on her bumper. The curly black haired young woman had heard some of the tips Gavin had given her at the summit and was demonstrating some of them as best she could at her brown haired classmate's request.

Tatsuo had yet to start his second run of the evening due to an issue Kyoko and he had felt on the first run, so the suspension was getting a full check out before he would be allowed back on the course to practice. He could clearly see the two cars chosen by the Todo School to be Project GT's opponents for the race as well as what he was told was the school's demo car. The first of the opponents' cars was a silver 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse GTX with a heavily modified body at the very least, while the second car was a red 2000 Nissan Skyline 25GT.

As practice came to an end at eleven thirty and even though Tatsuo had made two runs less than everyone else he was sure he was ready, even though he figured he wouldn't be chosen to race. Nika was hanging close to Tatsuo as they sat on the back hatch of Tatsuo's assigned van while Reiko and Gavin spent some more time tuning their suspensions; though without being able to test it Gavin was the only one who was dead sure he could make it work.

"Okay, we've compared your times with that of the students from Todo Juku and find that Tatsuo and Nika should be able to pull off a win," Keisuke said as the Project GT team stood before him, "Now Nika, as was said before you'll run the uphill against the Nissan while Tatsuo will take on the Mitsubishi in the downhill, which in this case will be run second, so Nika, you and Wataru head on down with the van. Tatsuo you get to breathe for a while."

Reiko joined Nika on her trip down to the bottom for a little pep talk and to try and calm the rather nervous looking young lady before her race started. On their way down it was as predicted that nearly every safe corner had a small crowd of people and at least one person with a stop watch. At the finish line they noticed that there was only a person with a stop watch and a couple of the students from Todo waiting for them as well as Nika's opponent.

"Why is no one here?" Nika asked after she lined her Z33 with her opponent's car.

"Tomoyuki-sensei requested that no one be at either line except students of the schools and staff members, I don't really know why," A tall young man said with a shrug before he pulled his long black hair into a low pony tail, "My name is Shin'ichiro, you can call me Shin, and I'll be your opponent this evening."

"I am Nika Mahara of Project GT, if you have another hair tie I'd like to borrow it," the brown haired girl said with a chuckle as she took one of the hair ties he offered.

At one minute to midnight the radio man at the bottom received word to get the racers ready and start the count down. Nika and Shin had just started their cars when Reiko decided to start the race.

"FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE…GO!" Reiko shouted just before the Z33 and the 25GT took off leaving her in a cloud of smoke and dust.

Nika quickly took the lead while pushing her car as close to the edge of the lidless gutters as humanly possible without falling in, not noticing the other Nissan had deliberately fallen behind. Reiko noticed two of the other guys laughing even though their man was behind.

"We mean no disrespect to your teammate, but Shin-kun has a pretty good record of falling behind and causing a false sense of security," one of the two young men said noticing Reiko's stares.

"Don't count Mahara-chan out, she's a strong driver, she'll leave him behind," Wataru said when Reiko rejoined him at the van.

"Did Nika have her radio?" the curly black haired young woman asked reaching for the one in the van.

"I didn't see her turn it on, but I saw it in the center console," Wataru answered shaking his head slightly.

Back at the top of the course Tatsuo and Gavin were having a nice little conversation over the radio reports of Nika and her opponent leaving the lidless gutters and Nika having worked up to a full second gap. Gavin also happened to have his personal radio in his ear to make sure Nika could get someone if she needed help.

"Nika, do you have your radio on?" Reiko's voice rang through his ear piece.

"Reiko? You're not one to call up mid race, what's up?" Nika answered all the while bringing a worried look to Gavin's face while he waited at the summit.

"Watch out for Shin-kun, he's baiting you," Reiko's replied, "You have to watch him closely or he'll overtake you in the later corners."

"Alright, I'll watch out for it," Nika's answer came before silence once again fell upon the students' radios.

Gavin's worried expression had Tatsuo listening even closer to the reports, as the Nissan 25GT was closing the gap that Nika had built up. On the course Nika could see the headlights appearing behind her just a little faster with each corner. As they entered the section of the course where the corners were tightly packed together Nika was still holding half a car between her Z33 and the 25GT behind her. As they approached a left handed hairpin Nika watched her rearview closely as she ripped through the corner with the red Nissan close behind.

Radio reports along the corners were telling everyone that the gap was reopening as they went through the corners and that the Z33 was now nearly three seconds ahead as they came out of that section. The gap once again closed as they pushed through straighter sections of the course; by the time they crossed the line Nika held only a half second lead over Shin'ichiro.

Nika was immediately rewarded with a bear hug from Gavin and a blush inducing kiss from Tatsuo as he wrapped her in a hug. Shortly after the race ended Reiko and Wataru arrived at the top of Momiji line in the van and Reiko added her congratulations to her teammates'. She even received a very kind 'congratulations' from Tomoyuki and her teachers, as well as several of the Todo Juku students.

"Tatsuo, line it up man, and good luck," Gavin said as he slapped his classmate on the back.

Tatsuo did as told and moved his Aztec gold RX-8 through the small crowd around the cars and up to the start line next to the Mitsubishi.

"Hey, I'm Keiji, I'll be your opponent tonight," a man with short black hair and a confidence in his tone that mimicked that of Mikio Taniguchi when he first started with Project GT.

"Tatsuo Sasaki of Project GT," the black haired man replied with a nod.

Gavin volunteered to start the race but Shin beat him to the start line and started the count down as soon as he was given the all clear.

"FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE…GO!" the black haired man yelled just before the Mazda flew past him on his left side and the Mitsubishi on the right.

As they cleared the course's first few corners it was plain as day to Tatsuo that Keiji probably spent more time track racing than on the mountains. His opponent was braking too early, entering corners slower than necessary, hesitating to stick close to the inside rather than following the line Tatsuo had determined to be a good line, and was falling way behind because of it. The black haired man also noticed that the Eclipse wasn't being pushed as hard as it could be.

"Gavin I know you're listening, I'm gonna leave this guy in the dust before the harder corners if he keeps going the way he is, let me know if someone calls an end to this before I get there," Tatsuo said as he floored the throttle through one of the straights.

"Okay then," was all Gavin said before silence fell over the radio again.

At the top the Todo students were all listening to their classmates report the race and the fact that the one driving was already nearly eight seconds behind and the two cars were just barely at the quarter mark. The only person who seemed unsurprised by the news was Tomoyuki Tachi, who was currently standing near the Todo Juku EK9.

By the time Tatsuo reached the straight before the tightly packed corners the Eclipse was nearly four corners back and struggling. Keiji finally knew that he had lost and turned on his hazard lights and pulled off to the first safe spot he found.

"Tatsuo, he's dropped out and is heading back up, find a spot, turn around and get back up here," Gavin's voice came through the radio.

"You got it, turning around right now," Tatsuo said just before slamming the brake pedal to the floor.

The Aztec gold machine turned side ways across the road in the straight before spinning to face the opposite direction and starting back up the mountain at nearly half the speed he'd been racing at. He caught a glimpse of the Eclipse just as it was crossing the start line again.

"Keiji-kun, you've forfeited a race, I'd only like to know why," Tomoyuki asked the young man as he stepped out of his car.

"Fear chief, I've driven on a track too much, I can't race at the same speed on a mountain due to fear of flying off it," Keiji replied as he bowed low before his teacher.

"Then now is the time to learn. When we go back, next time your classmates go to Enna Skyline you go with them and re-learn to drive the mountain," Tomoyuki replied with a gesture for the young man to rise before turning his attention to Keisuke and Takumi, "Looks like a total loss yet again for the Todo Juku against Project D."

"Begging your pardon Tachi-san, but we're called Project GT," Gavin said with the utmost respect.

"Aniki managed to save the vans, we just didn't change the logo," Keisuke said with a laugh at the professional racer's stunned appearance.

"Let's get going, we have a long drive back home," Takumi said loud enough to be heard by all before getting into his S2000 with Natsuki.

The competition yellow mica FD belonging to Keisuke once again led the way out of the parking area with the S2000 and the rest of the team following close behind. Once they arrived back at the school it was nearly three in the morning.

"Alright, you won tonight, you have tomorrow off to rest and recover from the late night, come in tomorrow afternoon and we'll have something to celebrate your victory," Kyoko said once the students were gathered, "For now you're all dismissed, mechanics that includes you guys."

The school's staff and most of the students left the grounds immediately after being dismissed. The remaining car in the school's lot aside from the Project D vans was Gavin's toreador red FD, the buzz cut blonde sleeping in its passenger seat not trusting himself to make it back to his apartment. The students gathered in the parking area for the celebration the next afternoon, Tatsuo and Gavin ended up having a go around the course for fun, showing off by paralleling one another around each of the throttle course's wide open corners while Reiko and Nika simply watched on, and the staff also had drinks and some party food. All in all, the event wasn't that big, but everyone seemed to enjoy it.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Several weeks went by, the winter weather moved in and Christmas Eve had arrived. Ryosuke had allowed for a holiday break from classes for both students and staff; Gavin and Reiko already had permission from her family and his for Reiko to stay with them for Christmas to experience an American Christmas. They could only bring Gavin's FD since it had all the proper identification stickers needed to get on base without a problem.

"So what should I expect? Christmas tree in the corner, all manner of lights, decorations, music and your Mom in the kitchen baking cookies, or what?" Reiko asked with a chuckle.

"Actually Dad does the baking of the cookies, and Mom usually leaves decorating till I get there," Gavin answered rather seriously.

"Why do I get the feeling your Dad is the one who taught you to cook?" the black haired girl asked with a joking laugh.

"Probably because he did," the buzz cut blonde answered with a laugh when he heard her gasp, "Taught me how to cook everything from steaks to fish and quite a bit about baking too."

When they arrived at the house his parents called home he parked the FD in the one car garage near the back of the house. As they stepped out of the car Reiko noticed that Gavin had a look of reverence and remembrance on his face just before snapping out of it and leading her into the house.

The house itself was nothing spectacular; a spacious two bedroom, two bathroom house with a small office next door to the master bedroom. As they walked through the kitchen at the back of the house Reiko noticed the light colored cabinets topped with a light colored granite counter top, the stainless appliances as well as the slate tile patterned floor. Gavin offered her a small tour when no one answered his calls.

When they stepped into the living room she saw the big Christmas tree sitting in a corner completely undecorated just as Gavin said it would be. While Reiko found the home rather plain, she knew it was home to Gavin's family.

"Hey, if you want to see where you're sleeping, you better follow me," Gavin said with a chuckle after spotting his classmate just staring around the living space.

Reiko jumped slightly not realizing she'd zoned out so badly. As she slowly made her way down the hall she could see all the family pictures, some of Gavin and his Dad, a few of all three of them and one that showed a very young boy sitting on a much older man's lap.

"That is my grandfather and me, there are other pictures but according to mom, in most of them we're either covered in grease or standing under some car not looking at the camera," Gavin said with a chuckle.

"So the last time you two were together and clean enough for a good picture together, you were five?" Reiko asked with the same chuckle as he just shrugged.

He led her to his old room; if the pale blue walls and the car pictures hanging on the wall hadn't made it obvious the picture of him and his grandfather covered in grease and standing under some unknown car sitting on the bedside night stand certainly did.

"Gavin, where are you?!" a woman's voice called from somewhere in the house.

Gavin didn't answer the call, choosing to just walk out into the main living room, where he was immediately hugged by a woman with a few grey hairs showing through her long curly blonde hair. Reiko couldn't help but laugh as he picked the slightly shorter woman up as he returned the hug.

"Mom, this is Reiko Sasaki," Gavin said after he put the graying blonde back on her feet, "Reiko, this is Helen Reynolds, my mother."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Reynolds," Reiko said with a polite bow.

"Nice to meet you too Reiko-chan," Helen replied with a kind smile before turning her attention to Gavin once again, "Gavin, you need to get the decorations from the garage, your father said you knew where they were."

Gavin nodded to both ladies and left them to their small talk, most of which consisted of the plans for the next couple days including a small get together at the neighbor's house for dinner that night. When Gavin returned he was happy to only have to decorate the living room while Reiko and Helen decorated the tree, declaring it the easier task. After a few hours the house's hardwood floors and cream colored walls shone with all different colors of light and the smell of fresh baked cookies filled the house.

"Why didn't you leave the baking to your father dear?" Helen asked sitting in one of the chairs in the space.

"Because I really wanted a cookie, he can make more if he wants," Gavin answered with a chuckle as he fell back onto the couch, "Plus Dad usually only makes sugar cookies this time of year, I wanted chocolate chip cookies."

"Aren't there supposed to be presents under the tree?" Reiko asked quietly trying not to laugh as Gavin munched on his cookie in a rather comedic fashion.

"Our family has had a tradition of waiting until two or three in the morning on Christmas morning to prevent peaking," Helen said while hiding a gesture that pointed to Gavin.

The sound of the door opening got their attentions before any conversation could continue; Gavin's seemingly reflex reaction to reach under the couch pillow his head was on seemed a little odd to Reiko but he quickly removed his hand when he saw a tall grey haired man with the same hair cut standing over him wearing a military uniform.

"Why do you always take the garage spot young man?" the man said with only a half angry tone.

"Because they don't particularly like my car on this base Sir," Gavin replied standing up and hugging the man, one that was quickly returned, "We have company Dad."

"Well introduce me then," The older man said releasing his hold on Gavin.

"Reiko Sasaki, this is my Dad Steven Reynolds," the buzz cut blonde said as he gestured once again to his black haired classmate.

After a huge dinner at the neighbor's house that included ham, salad, green bean casserole and macaroni and cheese, the Reynolds and Reiko simply walked around the neighborhood before going home and settling in for the night. With Reiko in his bedroom, Gavin was forced onto the couch in the main living area, something that didn't seem to bother him at all. When she went to the bathroom to clean up for the night she stepped onto the warm tile floor and enjoyed the feeling for a while before taking notice of the huge shower opposite the door that had a river rock floor and tile walls.

'_This stuff can't be original to the house, I guess it's more his parents' tastes than Gavin's,' _the black haired girl thought as she washed her face before returning to bed and falling into a peaceful sleep.

The next morning Reiko woke up to the smells and sounds of bacon and sausage cooking, accompanied by what smelled like fresh baked bread. She quickly got out of bed and did her best to fix her hair from the mess it was in. Once she was satisfied she walked into the kitchen to see Gavin sipping a cup of coffee while standing over the stove, and his father on the other side of him pulling the bread out of the oven.

After having breakfast together they opened the presents under the tree. Reiko was very surprised to have received one from both Gavin and his parents and the presents which had been snuck in by Tatsuo and her parents. Gavin had gotten her a locket, his parents got her a scarf that went beautifully with her favorite coat, Tatsuo had gotten her a cute pair of gloves to go with it as well and her parents had gotten her a cashmere sweater.

Gavin received a picture book from his Mom filled with family photos, mostly of him and his grandfather together; his Dad got him a model of Richard Petty's 1970 Dodge Charger Daytona racing car to add to his collection, and he received a keychain that was modeled after his red FD from Reiko as a small surprise.

As the day's events came to a close for Reiko and Gavin, it was just starting for Tatsuo and Nika as they drove to a restaurant to have dinner together. They drove mostly in silence because Tatsuo told Nika the whole evening was to be a surprise for her and she knew better than to try and ask so only the music playing broke the silence.

When Tatsuo had arrived at her apartment just before their quiet drive they greeted each other formally. Nika was wearing her new strapless dark red knee length dress that that she bought during her trip to the mall with Reiko, and her hair was out of its usual ponytail and curled a little at the bottom. Tatsuo was in a very nice black suit with a shirt that matched the dress.

When they arrived at the restaurant Nika took Tatsuo's hand as he helped her from the car and allowed him to lead her inside. The restaurant was romantically lit and there were only tables along the wall surrounding a large hardwood dance floor. Nika also noticed that there were a few couples dancing to the slow music from the string quartet playing in the corner opposite the door.

"Do you have a reservation Sir?" the Maitre de asked as they came to his podium.

"Sasaki, table for two, with a view," Tatsuo answered politely, before the Maitre de led them to their table.

After being seated at a table by the window that overlooked the city Tatsuo noticed that under the single lamp that lit the small table, Nika seemed to glow as she stared out over the city. Tatsuo decided that while they were waiting for one of the staff to come and take their order he would give her the gift he'd bought her.

"Nika, we haven't been going out long, but I'm a traditionalist when it comes to holiday gift giving," Tatsuo said with a chuckle as he placed a small box on the table wrapped in silver paper with no bow or tag adorning it.

Nika reached to the box and carefully opened it so she wouldn't cause any stares. The box held a small sapphire pendant held by a silver chain. Tatsuo noticed the small amount of concern in her eyes behind the astonishment on her face.

"Is something wrong Nika?" Tatsuo asked as she continued to just stare at the necklace.

"No, I… I just don't think," the brown haired girl said quietly before pausing to get her thoughts in order. "I don't think what I got for you would look as good as this does."

"I consider you a pretty good gift for me right now, but as long as whatever you did get came from the heart, I'm sure I'll love it," Tatsuo said with a smile.

Nika reached to her purse and dug for the very small omamori that she had purchased for his Christmas present. When she found it she pushed it across the table slowly with her hand covering it.

"I couldn't think of anything to get you since you seem to already have so much when it comes to sheet music and design programs, so I got you this," the brown haired girl said with a very worried expression on her face, before lifting her hand off the omamori.

Tatsuo sat quietly staring at the good luck charm lying on the table as a smile began to form at his lips. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys without saying a word and attached the omamori to the ring before laying them on the table and taking Nika's closest hand in his.

"Just like I said would, I love it and it will stay on my keys and therefore with me until it wears out," Tatsuo said with a chuckle running his fingers gently over her hand.

"Dance with me," Nika said standing up as the quartet started playing a new song.

Tatsuo immediately followed and held his brown haired girlfriend close to him as they danced to the slow sweet music until it came to an end. Shortly after their dance their food arrived and Tatsuo's car keys stayed right where he left them until they were ready to leave.

"Hey, it's still kind of early, why don't we step into this little Christmas party a friend of mine is throwing at his place?" Tatsuo asked as he saw the clock read five minutes to nine pm.

"As long as we don't look out of place I'm okay with that," Nika said with a chuckle as she buckled her seat belt.

"I think I will, I'm a little over dressed for his kind of party," the black haired young man said with a laugh.

When they arrived at his friend's home Tatsuo immediately took off the suit jacket he'd been wearing as well as the tie, before coming around to the passenger door and opening it for Nika. They walked in and Tatsuo was immediately greeted with a few cheers from some of the people in the small crowd.

"You certainly are popular aren't you?" Nika asked with a chuckle.

Tatsuo simply shrugged as he led her to the space where everyone was dancing and just having fun listening to the music. Nika had fun finally just letting loose in a crowd of strangers and was also impressed that Tatsuo was just as light on his feet with the faster music that was playing as he was to the slow string music they had danced to earlier in the night.

"And here I thought you two wouldn't show up tonight," a feminine voice came from somewhere close by, "Can I get a dance with you Tatsuo?"

They both stopped and happy faces turned to cold glares as they came face to face with Ayumi, but before they could say anything some guy came up and took her away to dance somewhere. Nika stood with a slightly confused look on her face while Tatsuo seemed slightly amused by what had happened.

"She really must have a death wish," Nika finally said before walking towards the door with Tatsuo following close behind.

"I take it the night has been ruined then?" the black haired man asked just as Nika was opening the door.

"It's salvageable," the brown haired woman replied with a wink, "If you stay at my place again."

The pair quickly made their way to Tatsuo's RX-8 and drove back to her apartment, remaining there for the rest of the night.

As the last week of the year passed Nika and Reiko had gone shopping a couple times and Tatsuo and Gavin spent some time on the school's course just to have a little fun with the freshly fallen snow after Tatsuo got his hair cut. Every one of them were to attend a party for New Years at Myogi with the Night Wolves, Emperors and the Usui Sparks, but at the last minute Tatsuo and Reiko's mother decided that the twins would attend her party instead. To countermand her decision Tatsuo invited Nika to the party while Gavin would act as Reiko's date for the evening and they would sneak out as quickly as possible.

When Gavin arrived at Nika's to pick her up for Tatsuo, she answered the door in a sleeveless blue evening gown that showed only a modest amount of cleavage. She had blue nail polish on her fingers and a lace wrap that matched the dress in both pattern and color across her elbows. Nika was finally taking notice of Gavin's tuxedo as they stood in her door for a moment; the tux he wore was black, his shirt was white, and the jacket was still open showing the red vest and tie he was wearing.

"You look good," Gavin said holding out an arm for her, acting the perfect gentleman as he led her toward his FD.

"You don't look so bad yourself in that tux," Nika replied as he held her door open for her.

Gavin simply nodded low before walking to the driver's side of the FD and driving out to the Sasaki house, discussing the plan for getting out of the party without being noticed along the way. They arrived about twenty minutes ahead of the other guests as requested by Mrs. Sasaki and the FD was tucked into the huge garage with the two SE3Ps belonging to Reiko and Tatsuo and their father's XK8 and their mother's Toyota Aristo.

"We'll have to take two cars to go unnoticed and since Nika's isn't here it's gonna have to be one of yours," Gavin said after greeting the twins and being ushered into the house.

"We'll take mine tonight," Tatsuo said calmly before looking to Reiko, "Now we have to get dressed."

About ten minutes before the guests were due to arrive Reiko came down the stairs; her hair was in a tighter curl than usual and she was wearing a dark red strapless evening gown, a lighter red beaded wrap draped across her elbows and very short red gloves on her hands. Tatsuo came down shortly after her with a satin lapel tuxedo jacket over a blue vest and tie to match his date for the evening, his cuff links were simple silver knots and his shoes were shined to a near mirror finish.

As the party started everyone acted accordingly, Tatsuo and Nika spent some time talking to a few people he knew, and Gavin got dragged into dancing once or twice during the event. As ten thirty rolled around Gavin and Reiko had already been in the garage for a couple minutes when Tatsuo and Nika made it out.

"Sorry, got hung up," Tatsuo said as he and Nika moved to his car, "Someone decided to start bad mouthing racing in general."

"It's okay, let's get a move on, we'll have to fire up at the same time so it doesn't make too much noise," Gavin said with getting in his FD with Reiko.

Gavin counted down and some how both rotary engines fired up at the same moment, the FD's louder 20B hiding the SE3P's smaller 13B's noise almost completely, before they moved almost as one out of the garage. Once they were on the main road both cars made their way towards Mt. Myogi's summit with almost every ounce of speed available. When they arrived at the summit they realized they looked very out of place among all of the others who were dressed in everyday clothes. They found a spot where each of the team leaders had gathered and noticed the Night Wolves leader was also wearing a tuxedo, his bow tie hanging around his neck and his vest open, while Mikio and the red haired leader of the Usui Sparks were wearing regular clothing.

"Well you guys are a little formal this evening," Mikio said with a chuckle as the team climbed from their cars.

"Probably for the same reason as Wolf boy over here," Nika said with a smirk, "Got sucked into a party and couldn't get out of it."

The Night Wolves leader simply nodded with half a smile on his face just before music started to blare through the parking area from several cars playing the same radio station. Throughout the evening there were a few drivers from each of the larger three teams who did some showing off by doing donuts and one even taking the chance of drifting between a few of the light poles since all the other cars were parked close to the main entrance of the parking area. By the time midnight rolled closer Nika and Reiko were both wearing the tuxedo jackets worn by Tatsuo and Gavin earlier in the evening.

As the countdown started Tatsuo's phone rang, it was their mother trying to figure out where they'd gone, he simply silenced the phone with a chuckle and turned to kiss Nika as the countdown reached zero and fireworks began to fill the sky from the celebrations below. Reiko had pulled Gavin into a surprise kiss at new years which made her laugh when he simply smiled as his cheeks turned a few shades of red.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

As the sounds of engines filled the air at the bottom of Mt. Akina, three silver Nissans waited in the lower lot, their drivers waiting quietly to see whoever it was coming off the mountain.

"So what do we actually do when they get down here?" a black haired girl asked as she leaned against her R34.

"If it's who we're looking for, we challenge them to a race, if it's not we leave them alone and go to some other mountain," answered the semi long haired man leaning on an S15.

"I have a feeling it will be, I hear at least two rotaries in the group coming down," the man with short black hair leaning on the R32 said silencing both of his teammates.

A moment or two later, two SE3Ps led an FD and a Z33 into the lower parking area near the downhill finish line. Once the four cars parked the drivers stepped out and walked across the parking area to greet the mystery team.

"Hello, what brings you guys to Akina at this time of night?" Gavin asked once they were close to the other team.

"Well we're here looking for a team called Project GT, we heard from the team on Myogi that they practice at just about any mountain," the young lady standing against the R34 replied politely.

"Well, will you at least say why you're looking for them? The Night Wolves take orders from a member of Project GT at the moment," the buzz cut blonde said to keep Reiko from coming right out and saying who they were, "He's only likely to know when they'll be in Myogi next."

"Well we're only looking to challenge them to a friendly battle, one uphill race and one downhill race, nothing fancy about it," the R32 driver said with a friendly smile, "You wouldn't happen to know where to find them during the week would you?"

"Why look during the week? If it's a challenge you're after you pick the mountain, date and time, we'll be there," Tatsuo said joining the conversation.

"Wait, you four are Project GT?" the black haired girl asked genuinely surprised.

"We are, and you weren't wrong, we have practice time on the major mountains in the area and connections at Nikko-Irohazaka as well," Nika answered.

"Well, I'll go ahead and start the introductions, I'm Shou Enomoto, leader of the Street Kings team, my 32 and I run the uphill," Shou, the black haired man said calmly, "My downhiller is the S15 driven by Matsuda-san and the R34 is driven by Takako Shinagawa on the uphill."

The other two drivers nodded their heads as their names were mentioned, as Gavin and Shou shook hands.

"Well as for us, I'm Gavin Reynolds, I run the red FD on the up and downhill. The two SE3Ps driven by Reiko and Tatsuo Sasaki, formally the rotary twins of Akagi, run mostly the downhill but both are very capable on the uphill. The Z33 is driven by Nika Mahara on the uphill and she's also pretty damn fast on the downhill," the buzz cut blonde said with a smile while gesturing to each person.

"You didn't say which of you was the leader of the team in your introduction, so who is it?" Takako asked moving towards the group.

"We don't really have one specific leader since we don't even have a home course, when we practice in Akagi Reiko leads us down, Tatsuo leads us up, when we practice in Myogi Nika leads us up, I lead the way down," Gavin said with a chuckle, "You get the idea."

"Okay, now that the introductions are done, here Saturday ten o'clock," Shou said with a grin on his face.

"You've got a deal," Gavin replied once he saw nods from his team and classmates.

Once the Street Kings team left the lower parking lot, Tatsuo went to work on finding out just who they were and where they came from. Gavin, Nika and Reiko talked over who would race against the team before splitting up for the night.

After school the next day Tatsuo was still making phone calls to try and find something about the Street Kings. His Gunma contacts were running out quick, so he finally called the first of his last resort numbers.

"Hello, what has you calling me Tatsuo-san?" Mikio's voice came through the phone.

"Just want to talk to you about a team called the Street Kings," Tatsuo answered calmly, "I need to know anything I can get by Saturday."

"I know of them, I think they run here in Tochigi but I'm not even sure of that, they're pretty good though, they trounced a couple of my teammates a couple months ago," the stocky blonde's voice came back sounding a little agitated, "Reiko get a challenge from them or something?"

"No, this is for Project GT, we all got the challenge," the black haired man said watching his sister run out the door to meet Nika and shaking his head, "Anyway, if you find anything else out, let me know okay?"

"You got it, hey, tell whoever races the 34 to be careful, she's a little nuts according to my teammate," Mikio responded with a chuckle.

Out in the driveway, Reiko was jumping into the pearl blue Z33 before taking off towards the closest mall.

"Emiko said she was going to meet us out there," Reiko said as she strapped herself into the harness, "So why is it you wanted to go today?"

"Just needed to get out of the apartment for a while, they cut my hours at the bank just before the holidays and besides that and school I don't go out much during the week," Nika replied as they turned out of the long driveway.

When they arrived at the mall Emiko immediately came and greeted them both before pulling them to the closest store. As they shopped Nika took the chance to talk to Emiko about what she'd seen at the New Years gathering between Reiko and Gavin. As the three ladies took a break from shopping to take things to the cars before starting up again, Nika and Emiko cornered Reiko between them and her Z33.

"Okay Reiko, what do you think of Reynolds-sempai?" Emiko asked with a smirk.

"He's okay, a good tutor and a wizard with his FD," Reiko said not realizing how red her cheeks were getting.

"Okay, so how would you feel if I told you he was going to go out with that Takako girl from the Street Kings?" Nika asked point blank ignoring the curious look from Emiko.

The two ladies saw a flash of anger cross the curly black haired young woman's face before it vanished and calm resumed and she simply shrugged. Both Nika and Emiko knew they struck a nerve and Nika was the only one willing to keep pushing.

"Come on Reiko, tell me what I already know, I saw how you were hanging on him at the New Years gathering at Myogi," The brown haired girl said leaning against her Z33 next to her teammate and friend, "Look, you tell me now I can at least try and stop him from going out with her."

"How do you even know he wants to?" Reiko asked with some agitation showing in her tone, only it was worry showing deep in her eyes, "Besides what right do I have to stop him if he does go?"

"Because I heard him say something to Tatsuo about it, he was going to ask after the races," Nika replied calmly, "And you have at least the right to tell him you don't want him to because you love him."

Reiko nodded and they went back to the mall to resume shopping mostly in silence to leave Reiko to her thoughts.

"Nika-san, is what you said about Reynolds-sempai true? He wants to ask some other racer out?" Emiko asked while Reiko was trying something on.

"Unfortunately for Reiko I think so, I did overhear a conversation about the only female member of a team called the Street Kings," Nika replied quietly, "Gavin did say he'd like to ask her out, whether he would or not, I don't know."

"So you're going to try again with the pushing her into admitting it?" the bleach blonde young woman asked just before Reiko exited the fitting rooms, receiving a shallow nod from Nika in response to her question.

As they were leaving Nika informed Emiko of the race on Saturday at Akina and the blonde was excited to be invited to root for Project GT. Once Reiko and Nika were securely in the Z33 and where Reiko couldn't get away Nika decided it was time for one last push.

"So you've been pretty quiet since the first visit to the parking lot, what's on your mind?" the brown haired girl asked as they drove towards the Sasaki household.

"I just have a doubt that he loves me back Nika," the curly black haired young lady said quietly.

"Well, the only thing you can do is lay it on the table and see what happens, you have to remember he's introduced you to his parents already, he's taken you on several dates, voluntarily I might add," Nika said with a small laugh.

"I asked to see an American Christmas, he's the only American born person I know, he's only taken me out on my birthday and when I called him to bail me out of one of mom's parties," Reiko responded not returning the smile Nika had on her face.

"Do you think he would have done any of that for me?" Nika asked seriously.

"Probably, he's just that kind of guy, leaps without looking and takes chances no one else would, that's why he's such a wizard with his FD," the black haired young lady responded with a dreamy tone, "I bet if you called him right now and said that you were stuck on the side of the road without a spare, he'd come with one."

"Somehow I doubt that, I've never seen him jump for anyone like he does for you, he did dress to match you for the New Years party," the brown haired young woman said with a smile forming on her lips once again, "Not to mention he went racing after Tatsuo at your request and all the work he did on your RX-8 with no nudging at all."

"Didn't Tatsuo do the testing on my car?"

"Gavin, he pretty much ran the same testing we ran on Tatsuo's, only your car got a few extra laps since it wouldn't go to the mountains before you got it back, Tatsuo texted me while Gavin was doing the laps."

Reiko leaned back in her seat and let out a long breath as they rode the rest of the way back to the Sasaki household in silence. When they arrived Nika locked the doors on the Z33 before Reiko could get out.

"Are you going to tell him or not?" the brown haired girl asked point blank, "Actually the more appropriate question is, are you going to tell yourself?"

"I love Gavin, I've known that since the first time I really raced him, hell probably before that, but he's older and I don't know," Reiko paused for a moment, "If I tell him, you're telling Tatsuo you love him too."

"Too late, but deal," Nika said before unlocking the doors and letting her friend and classmate out of the car and driving off.

The next day Wataru, Kyoko, Nika, Tatsuo and Reiko were watching Gavin make his way around the throttle course in his FD before the official classes started for the day. The buzz cut blonde was currently flying through his second lap right on pace to make the Honda S2000's lap time from the first day. As he cleared the last few long corners he put the throttle to the floor and flew through the last corner just making the time.

"He's made the time, he can now race against the staff member of his choice," Reiko said proudly still staring at the lap clock.

As he cleared his third lap Gavin was a few milliseconds ahead of the lap time and Reiko and Nika gasped as the FD slid through the two hundred and seventy degree right handed loop corner, coming off its line a couple times in the process.

"His tires are gone, he's losing control," Wataru whispered to Kyoko as they watched on, "That twin turbo 20B is taking its toll."

The FD cleared the following corners without coming off its line, but as it approached the hairpin after the long straight, the car seemed to slide to the outside. With the radio turned off in Gavin's car, Tatsuo couldn't tell him to stop. As the toreador red FD flew towards the v-turn the nose went down and the tail slid way out of the proper line and the nose started to chase its tail.

Gavin managed to make the corner but he couldn't get the car to stop sliding before the driver's side went off the tarmac. The driver's side rear tire started slinging gravel as it struggled to push the car back onto the road while Gavin fought the car to keep it from going further off the track.

Everyone that was watching held their breath as Gavin managed to get the car back on the course and finished the lap. After the FD crossed the finish line it drove the wrong way down pit lane; Reiko cleared the guardrail first closely followed by her brother and Nika. As Gavin stepped from the car everyone immediately stopped as Keisuke stepped up.

"Gavin Reynolds, you just did something against this school's rules, you're trackside for a week as per those rules," Keisuke said seriously just before noticing that Gavin was a little pale and his hands were tightly gripping the door and roof of the FD, "Mr. Reynolds, are you alright?"

"Sir, what happened on the course was not deliberate, I lost control going into the corner," Gavin said, his voice shaking audibly.

Reiko pulled the buzz cut blonde away from his FD and with Tatsuo's help sat him down in the grass just beyond the guardrails leaving the FD idling to help cool the turbochargers. After a few minutes Gavin stopped shaking and moved his car back into the parking area as the two trainer cars were being retrieved by his classmates.

When they got the cars out Gavin immediately climbed into the AW11 and strapped in and took off onto the course while Tatsuo was getting ready in the Cosmo. As the AW11 cleared into its third lap it was even clearer that Gavin was in trouble after what had happened earlier in the day.

"Mr. Reynolds, get off the course, you are being absolutely disgraceful after your performance this morning," Keisuke's voice said with a chuckle as it rang through the radio.

"On my way Sir, could I request a few laps during the break Sir?" Gavin asked as politely as possible as he continued his way around the course.

"We'll see, but for now get off the course," the spiky blonde said with a chuckle.

"He's shaken, did you notice that he slowed way down before the v-turn and the hairpin too?" Takumi asked with his hand over the radio microphone.

"I saw it, why do you think I'm pulling him for a while?" Keisuke replied also placing his hand over his microphone, "Kyoko, go talk to him when he gets off the track, see if you can't get that block out of his head."

Kyoko nodded and made her way to the AW11 that was just stopping in the pit stall. As Gavin climbed out Reiko hugged him around the middle before climbing in the car and starting her stint early.

"Mr. Reynolds, if you'd like to cut out for the rest of today and hit one of the mountains we'll understand," Kyoko said politely while Nika helped him get his HANS device off.

"I'll be fine, just give me a little time," Gavin's muffled voice said as Nika finally got the thing off.

Before the end of the day Gavin was on the track again in both his FD and the AW11. His times were better than when the students first came but he was still having trouble trusting himself in the v-turn which was causing him to lose a lot of time.

As what was left of the week rolled by Nika, Reiko and Tatsuo all three were helping as best they knew how. They went to Myogi and Usui pass for practice. Gavin would trail the three of them down each mountain and at least at Myogi he was forced to lead the pack since Reiko hoped to push him to race speeds.

The night before the race with the Street Kings, Reiko called Gavin out to Mt. Akagi for a little check run with her. When Reiko arrived at the lower parking area she was not surprised to see Gavin laid out on the hood of his FD looking up at the stars. The curly black haired young woman managed to get his attention by closing the door of her SE3P.

"Okay, you called me out here for a check run before the race tomorrow, so exactly how are we going to be doing that?" Gavin asked sliding off his hood.

"You run up with me tailing you and when we get to the top we talk about what I've seen," Reiko replied laughing quietly.

As they flew up the mountain Reiko was noting how and where the FD was moving off its lines or when it swung out too much in a drift. Once they arrived at the summit parking area Reiko motioned for Gavin to get out of his FD and come to the bench with her.

"So what is it you really called me out here for Reiko?" Gavin asked point blank as he stood in front of her.

"To talk about what happened at the school, you've been holding back on the mountains because of it, we can all see it, I just want to know what rattled your cage," the curly black haired young woman asked taking a spot on the bench.

"My head is just a bit jumbled Reiko, I'll be fine once I get it straightened out," the buzz cut blonde said calmly.

"Will you listen to me for a few minutes, like you used to when I had problems?" Reiko asked turning her gaze away from her classmate, who in response sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "Look, ever since that slip of yours at the v-turn I've been thinking about you, all that time we spent together as student and tutor, all the times you've jumped to help me with my family or whatever, even when you took me out for mine and Tatsuo's birthday."

"Reiko, I would do that kind of thing for anyone I called a friend, you know that," Gavin responded trying to look her in the eye, but she continued to look away from him towards the cars.

"But what about the times when you just listened to me rant, or let me hide at your place when my mother drank on an empty stomach? Would you have done that too?" the girl asked as she started to nervously play with one of her curls.

"No, that I reserve for close friends and students occasionally," the buzz cut blonde said before reaching up and pulling her chin so he could look her in the eye, "Both of which applied to you at the time if you don't remember."

"Gavin, I think in all the time we've known each other, especially after nearly dying when I thought you were going to crash at the track the other day, that I…," Reiko paused as she looked into the buzz cut blonde's deep blue eyes and saw that he was genuinely concerned for her, "I... I've actually fallen for you, Gavin."

Gavin held her gaze for a moment before standing up and walking back to his car and leaning against it while once again looking to the cloudless sky.

"Let's finish this check run, I'm getting kind of tired and with everything in my head right now I just need to rest," Gavin replied sounding half happy and half completely confused by her confession.

Before long they were flying down Akagi's downhill at close to a record pace. Gavin was still sliding off his line in the tighter corners, but he was doing less showing off as he flew down the course as fast as his screwed up concentration would allow.

The next night when Project GT arrived at Akina they saw the huge crowd in the lower lot and all the people that were gathered in the corners. Gavin managed to spot and point out the green S13 belonging to the Usui Sparks leader and Mikio's new Lan-Evo parked off to the side of one of the corners, and a little further up the five members of the Myogi Night Wolves were all in one corner.

"Alright, when we get to the summit we'll send the uphillers to make the first run of the night while we pick out our downhill runner for the night," Tatsuo said into his radio as they approached the top, "Nika you don't mind taking the uphill do you?"

"Absolutely not, I'm hoping to get in a run with that Takako girl," Nika said with a chuckle.

"Nika, I'm running uphill if Takako-chan is running uphill," Reiko's voice said with a new determination, "You can have the R32 though."

When they pulled into the small pull off areas at the radio tower that marked the official start point of the Akina downhill they noticed that all three of the Street Kings were waiting patiently with their cars. Shou Enomoto made his way to the cars once they stopped.

"Okay, I'm going to run the uphill this time, obviously Matsuda-san will be making the downhill run," Shou said with a grin.

"Well if you don't mind we'd like to start with the uphill tonight, Nika will be your opponent, we'll be deciding on our downhiller while the race is going on," Tatsuo said being the main voice of the team for the night.

"I have no problem with that, so let's go ahead and make our way down," the black haired man said staring at Nika, who nodded before stepping back into her Z33 and leading the pair down the mountain.

"Okay, so who's racing tonight?" Tatsuo asked staring dead at Gavin after nearly fifteen minutes in silence.

"I'll take it if you and Reiko don't want it," the buzz cut blonde said calmly.

"Gavin this is your home course, you know all the tricks here, you're taking this race because you need to rather than us wanting to," Reiko said with anger lacing her tone.

"Okay, I'll race then," the buzz cut blonde said with a shrug before they all heard a report that the two uphill racers had crossed the lower finish line and were lining up for a start.

The three drivers stood near the guardrail that separated the pull off area from the main road and waited for the race to start, Gavin once again keeping his radio handy to be sure Nika would have help if needed.

"Reiko!" a girl's voice called from just behind them, "I haven't missed anything yet have I?"

Reiko turned around and saw Emiko standing behind her just as she'd promised she would be.

"Not yet Emiko-chan," Gavin said noticing Reiko's shock, "They are just about to start Nika's race though."

"Oh hello Reynolds-sempai, it's good to see you again," Emiko said happily as she moved to the guardrail next to Reiko.

The race started precisely at ten o'clock; Nika fell behind in the first straight but was quickly able to make up lost ground as they flew through the first corner. The pace was higher than her last race against the Night Wolves leader, but she found herself able to keep up with the silver R32 rather easily.

"Is Nika-san going to lose?" Emiko asked when the corner reports said she was still behind as they approached the five hairpins.

"Too early to tell really, if she really is chewing on his bumper like the reports say she may pass him yet," Reiko said calmly.

In the five hairpins Nika was trying to make a move but she was continuously blocked by the larger R32's nose as she tried to push through the inside. When they cleared the hairpins the R32 went wide out of the corner. Nika ducked to the inside and used every ounce of the 310 horses coming from the V6 under her hood to pull level and just inch past the larger vehicle before she fell to the inside of the next corner and truly took the lead from Shou.

'_Okay mistakes happen, let's get back in it,' _Shou thought as he pushed the silver machine to get back in the race.

Emiko was cheering loudly at the top of the mountain when they heard the news. Tatsuo, Reiko and Gavin had small smiles on their faces as well. On the course however Nika was now faced with the near constant attacks of the GT-R.

"Guys don't underestimate the downhiller, Enomoto-san is incredible as an attack artist," Nika said into her radio.

"I won't, now get this done Nika, your car should be the faster, you're lighter too so get away from him," Gavin said calmly in return.

"She can talk to you guys and still drive?" Emiko asked as she leaned against Reiko's SE3P.

"You ask a lot of questions, so I'll answer as many as I can now to keep you quiet for a few minutes," Gavin said with a chuckle, "Nika, Reiko, Tatsuo and I are training to be professional race drivers, Nika, like the rest of us, is training to use radios so we aren't distracted by them during the races, Reiko and I are the faster pair at this school, however Nika and Tatsuo are still less than half a second off our tails."

Tatsuo chuckled as the bleach blonde girl's eyes got big as Gavin spoke, but he was also listening to the reports that Nika was somehow managing to pull away a centimeter at a time as they closed on the next set of corners. Rounding the hairpin before the corner set, Nika managed to pull a little further ahead and was even more relieved when the headlights fell just a little further behind as she cleared each corner.

"Okay, now I have fun," Nika said to herself as she floored the throttle through the next straights.

As they came up on the next hairpins the R32 was still well behind the Z33 as it entered the first of the hairpins. When Nika cleared the second it took nearly two seconds for her opponent's headlights to hit her dash again. The brown haired girl flew through the straights again noticing that somehow Shou and his silver R32 were starting to close the gap slightly. As they cleared the last corners the gap closed to the point her opponent was right on her bumper.

"Geez this guy's fast," the brown haired girl muttered as she flew around the last corner and into the straight that led to the finish line.

Nika's pearl blue Z33 managed to cross the finish line with only a tire's width between her nose and his. Emiko and Reiko were over the rail and well on their way towards the pearl blue machine before it even got stopped. The bleach blonde girl was cheering the whole way and nearly tackled Nika when she stepped out of the car. Shou congratulated her before moving his car back to the pull off area. Once Nika was able to move her car she did and Gavin and Matsuda moved onto the course.

"Can I do the count?" Emiko asked shyly.

"I have no problem with it, hold your hand up and count down when you shout the number starting with five," Shou instructed politely, "And don't forget to say go when your hand comes down."

Gavin was a little surprised to see Emiko standing in the middle of the road in front of them as she started the count down.

"FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE…..GO!" the blonde haired girl shouted just before the sight of two cars flying by her caused her to duck slightly.

Gavin had delayed his start for half a second allowing the silver S15 to slip in front of him before letting his FD grab hold of its bumper and following through the first corners. Gavin was observing his opponent's style, seeing if there was anything he could use against him aside from his FD's power.

"This is the third hairpin from the top, the FD's chewing on the S15, but it doesn't look like he's trying to pass yet," a voice rang through the radios.

"What does that mean?" Emiko asked as she looked to her friend.

"It mean's Gavin's not trying at all, he's just sitting back and watching for now," Reiko answered with a smirk, "Once they reach the next corner set I want you to go back to your car and get on my 8's bumper because that's when we'll pull out."

Emiko nodded and ran to her car on the other side of the road and moved it behind Reiko's just as everyone else was beginning to move down the mountain. She didn't see who put it there but a radio was sitting on her passenger seat so she could still listen to the race on the way down.

On the course Gavin and his opponent were moving though the corners like wild fire was chasing them and the buzz cut blonde was now attempting to push the S15 into a mistake. This tactic didn't work until they were nearing the five hairpins. In the first hairpin the FD dropped its tires into the gutter and shot past the S15 on the inside.

"Okay, I'm ahead, now I play," Gavin said with a laugh as he began pulling away from the S15 while putting on a serious show at the same time.

By the time they cleared the hairpins the FD had built a gap over the S15 of nearly two seconds, but to everyone's confusion the FD let the gap close to a bumper to bumper range and allowed his opponent to tail him. If the S15 attempted to pass Gavin would open the gap slightly to prevent it and then allow it to close again. In the final straights Gavin simply laid the hammer down and flew through the course leaving the S15 almost six seconds behind before it crossed the finish line.

When Gavin stepped out of the FD he had a grin from ear to ear as the cheers from the crowd roared around him. A few minutes passed and the rest of the two teams arrived at the bottom of the mountain with Emiko's sedan between the two SE3Ps. Tatsuo and Nika stopped Emiko from running over to Gavin to give Reiko a chance to congratulate him first.

"Hey, think you'll be okay on the track Monday?" Reiko asked in Gavin's ear as she hugged him.

"Should be, oh and I think I owe you this," Gavin replied just before bending down and kissing the black haired girl on the lips eliciting a few whistles from the guys in the crowd.

"So, you love me?" Reiko asked shyly as Gavin held her chin.

"Yes, I do love you," Gavin said with a laugh as Reiko hugged him around his chest.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

As Ryosuke's Project GT drivers stood waiting for their instructors to arrive the conversation between them centered on who Gavin would race against when he wanted to race against the staff. It had been nearly a week since he achieved the lap time set by Takumi in his S2000 the first day of school and the buzz cut blonde had yet to publicly choose his opponent or the course they would race on.

"I've been thinking about racing Keisuke, FD vs. FD on the braking course, it would be a learning experience to say the least," Gavin said while Reiko sat next to him on the guardrails of the track, "Then again I could learn a lot from Kyoko on that course too, so I guess I really don't know who I'm going to ask for a race, at least not yet."

"Well you better make up your mind or they might make you take your laps again," Nika said with a chuckle, "Besides, it's like you said, you'd be in it for the learning experience rather than the race itself, not that any of us is likely to win these races anyway."

"Hey, I didn't say I wouldn't try to win, I just want to watch him for a lap," the buzz cut blonde said with a half angry look.

"She's right though, I caught one of Takahashi-sensei's lap times a couple days ago, he's well below the lap time from the first day, we've been training under their teachings for almost a year now and you've just made the time by a few milliseconds Gavin. If we race the staff, I'd aim to just keep up," Tatsuo said rather seriously, "Even on the braking course, that's my goal when I get there, to keep up with whoever I decide to race."

"It should be your goal to outrun us rather than keep up Mr. Sasaki," Keisuke's voice came from the other end of the pit lane, "Mr. Reynolds, have you made up your mind as to who you wish to race?"

"I want to race against you Takahashi-sensei," Gavin said with a smirk as though a light in his head had just come on, "The braking course will do fine since it's already laid out for our use today."

"Very well, let's get set up then," Keisuke replied with a chuckle as he started walking toward his yellow FD.

Gavin immediately ran towards his own toreador red FD and started moving it towards the course as Tatsuo and Wataru opened the gate to allow both cars to line up on the track before the drivers were sent to change into the safety equipment.

"As you well know the school's track rules still apply, no bumping intentionally, no show boating, full safety equipment is to be worn, helmets minus the HANS devices since your cars don't have the hooks for them and all that jazz," Wataru explained as Gavin and Keisuke dressed, "You've got three laps to race, so try not to kill yourself Mr. Reynolds."

"Why me? What about him?" Gavin half shouted as he pointed to Keisuke.

"He's covered by the school's insurance, you on the other hand are not," Wataru replied while Keisuke laughed quietly.

About fifteen minutes later both drivers were strapped into the pair of RX-7s lined up on the starting line. The two rotary engines roared to life as Kyoko stepped in front of the two cars.

"FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE…GO!" Kyoko shouted just before the two cars flew past her.

Keisuke's FD launched off the line with next to no tire smoke as it came off the line and headed towards the first corner; Gavin's was hot on his heels after he came off the line with more tire spin than intended. As they approached the first long right hander the two cars were only a few feet apart. When they cleared it the gap had opened just slightly before the left handed two hundred and seventy degree loop turn.

"Geez, I thought for sure Gavin would have had the off the line advantage," Reiko said quietly as she watched the two FDs fly through the loop.

Keisuke was watching for every possible move Gavin might make, ready to defend against it at any time. Gavin on the other hand was struggling to keep up as they cleared the first of very few straights in the course. When they reached the first s-curve the yellow FD managed to open the gap a little bit more to half a car length. As they entered the first hairpins the buzz cut blonde began to mimic Keisuke's braking style. Instead of following by standing on the brakes at the last possible second, the buzz cut blonde smoothed his braking over a longer distance with even force.

"Okay Keisuke, he's starting to mimic your braking, see if you can't throw him off," Wataru said with a chuckle.

"He's barely keeping up as it is Wataru, let him learn from me," the spiky bleach blonde replied seriously as they flew along the next straight stretch, "That's the point of these races after all."

The students on the sidelines were in awe of how Keisuke's FD seemed to float across the course's next hairpins and hard corners while their classmate was struggling to keep up just behind it. Reiko's heart was pounding just watching her new boyfriend fly around the corners and her determination to catch him was once again at an all time high. Tatsuo saw the determined looks in Reiko and Nika's eyes as he stood between them at the pit lane guardrail and couldn't help but chuckle before turning his attention back on the race.

Gavin was watching every move that the yellow FD made as it cleared each of the zigzag type corners just ahead of him. Once the two RX-7s cleared the last of the zigzags into the longest stretch of the course Gavin was able to relax for a moment to get his pulse down before heading into the long right hander leading into the next two u-turns.

Once again Keisuke was on the defensive as they flew through the multiple ninety degree corners. The spiky blonde was impressed that Gavin was able to keep up this long so he decided to do a little more offensive driving and pull away as they entered the final quarter of the first lap.

"If he can do it, then I can do it," Gavin said forgetting his radio as he pushed the throttle closer to the floor.

"Just be careful Mr. Reynolds," Kyoko's voice said with a small giggle as she was reminded of a racer from Project D's past that Keisuke had told her about. The man had crashed his car trying to follow Takumi through the lidless gutters in Momiji.

As they cleared the next hairpins Keisuke slid through each one with the smallest angle necessary as Gavin mimicked his lines and maneuvers.

"He's going to try for the win, too bad he's got two more laps left," Keisuke said still watching the red FD behind him.

"He knows, he's just looking to keep up, I don't think this will keep up though, he's already broken his last lap time on the braking course," Wataru said through the radio.

As they cleared the last hairpin it looked like Gavin might have had a chance to pass, but it slipped away when he swung out a little too wide coming out of the last corner. Gavin's mental state was nearly a blank slate; the only thing in his mind was his car and the course.

"Takahashi-sensei may I borrow the radio?" Reiko asked sweetly as she approached her female mechanics instructor.

Kyoko nodded and handed her the headset with a small smile thinking that hearing Reiko would be the push Gavin needed to finish this race still nipping at Keisuke's heels.

"Gavin, you need to relax a little, if you don't you may not finish at all," Reiko said quietly knowing that she would probably sound like the tiny voice in the back of his mind.

"Okay Reiko, I'll relax for the length of the straights," Gavin's voice said as his FD began to fall behind slightly through the first straight of the course. It quickly made up the ground through the next corners after the straights by accelerating hard while Keisuke was braking for the corners.

After a lap of relaxing whenever possible Gavin was feeling up to the challenge of passing his instructor. Throughout the third lap Gavin managed to attempt several attacks on Keisuke and his FD and even though he'd pushed himself beyond all of his known limits, the buzz cut blonde only managed to get alongside the back wheels of Keisuke's car as they finished off the race.

Wataru and Kyoko were quietly celebrating Keisuke's win with the other staff members while the students were still standing quietly astounded as the two RX-7s made their way around the course for the cool down lap nearly door to door. Once they were back in pit lane Tatsuo and Nika were the first over the wall while Reiko had to give the radio headset back to Kyoko before joining them.

"So Mr. Reynolds, did you learn what you wanted?" Keisuke asked through his open helmet visor.

"I learned a lot more Takahashi-sensei, thank you," the buzz cut blonde said with a low bow.

"Good, that means I've been doing my job," the spiky bleach blonde said with a chuckle, "I'm going to change, once I get back we'll start regular classes. Ms. Sasaki and Ms. Mahara you'll have first runs, ten laps each so go ahead and get changed as well."

After their track time was done, the students went to the classroom and had a lecture from Nobuhiko about the professional safety rules and track regulations while the track maintenance staff moved the barriers that delimited the courses to open the throttle course for the next day's use.

"Fujiwara-sensei, do you mind if I take a few laps in my car now that the throttle course is open?" Reiko asked before her classmates could leave after their dismissal for the day.

"Go right ahead Ms. Sasaki, the maintenance crew is finished with the course," Takumi replied with a smile as Reiko ran to her SE3P.

After two laps on the course Reiko met the lap time the Honda set and on her third she beat it by the same few milliseconds that Gavin had managed to beat it by. The whole time the SE3P seemed to fly as fast as its twin turbo 13B-MSP engine could carry it. As she did her cool down lap Gavin was planning a double date to celebrate the fact he'd raced and managed to keep up with Keisuke as well as Reiko making the goal lap time.

"You know once Ms. Mahara and Mr. Sasaki hit that time we'll have to reset the lap time," Keisuke said with a chuckle as the SE3P moved off the course.

"That may be soon since Reiko seems to be pulled by Gavin and Tatsuo by Reiko and Nika by Tatsuo, each time one of them makes a goal the next one in the line makes it shortly after," Takumi replied with a small smile on his face.

"That could become a problem, they've been competing with each other for so long that they know each other too well, how to block each other and all that," Kyoko said joining in the conversation.

"I don't think it's competing with each other, but being motivated by each other, they haven't raced against each other, here at least," Keisuke said as he turned to his wife, "Plus from what I understand they ride with each other when they're practicing in the mountains to point things out. They work as a team more than Fujiwara and I did in Project D."

The students left shortly after and headed their own separate ways for what was left of the day. Later that evening Nika and Gavin would meet up with Tatsuo and Reiko at the restaurant Gavin had asked them to for their little celebration double date.

"Why is it that you're picking me up instead of my real date for tonight?" Nika asked with a giggle as she let Gavin into her apartment.

"Because you're on my way to where we're going," Gavin smiled as he went to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, "And what is the point of Tatsuo coming all the way out here and me going all the way to their house if we're all going to end up in the same place anyway?"

"I guess you have a point," the brown haired young woman said as she went to finish getting ready, "Oh and before I forget, how is it that you know your way around MY kitchen?"

"You keep the same basic order I do, your mugs are right over the coffee maker just like where I keep mine," Gavin replied with a chuckle as he motioned for her to get ready.

An hour later the two classmates were waiting patiently for their dates to arrive while listening to the radio in Gavin's FD. When Reiko and Tatsuo arrived they all walked in together and sat at one of the very few tables for four in the restaurant. It was a nice restaurant that you could get away with casual wear in but they still dressed kind of nice, Gavin was in a button down shirt and dark jeans, Tatsuo wore a polo shirt and slacks, while Nika and Reiko were wearing simple dresses with their hair down and curled.

As they waited for their drinks they spoke of Gavin's trying his new limits in a race soon, perhaps on the uphill for a change. The conversation also included some speculation as to whom Reiko would choose to go against when she wanted to go ahead with her staff member race. She was leaning towards Kyoko or Takumi, but she wouldn't decide definitely till later. When their drinks and food arrived Gavin slowly raised his soda towards the center of the table.

"To good friends and better loves," the buzz cut blonde said loud enough to be heard by his classmates only before their glasses met his.

They ate their dinners over light conversation about maybe getting together at Gavin's for lunch again and what he should serve if they did, as well as who Tatsuo and Nika might race when they achieved the necessary lap times. As their conversations rounded down Gavin and Tatsuo paid the bills and escorted both ladies to the cars. Reiko joined Gavin in his FD while Nika joined Tatsuo in his SE3P as they headed for the Mt. Akagi summit.

As the two cars arrived at the pass they noticed that a small crowd was at the bottom so Tatsuo stopped to make sure they wouldn't interrupt a race or anything. After finding out it was a regular practice session of the resident team, the Blue Fire team, the two cars took their sweet time getting to the summit, pulling off whenever they saw headlights coming their way.

By the time they reached the summit, the mountain was nearly as clear as the sky above them and Tatsuo opened his car doors, allowing the music to fill the cool night air as he and Nika danced. Reiko finally sweet talked Gavin into dancing with her since no one was there to watch.

"I want to know why you don't like dancing Gavin, you're very good at it," Reiko said leaning into the buzz cut blonde's chest as they moved as one.

"It's not by choice that I know how, Dad was on deployment to some ship in the pacific, and Mom wanted to go dancing and she didn't want some other partner so she dragged me along," the buzz cut blonde said with a slight grimace on his face, "Thought that since we had similar interests in cars that I'd like dancing as much as grandpa did with grandma."

"Well either way, she did a good job teaching you," the black haired girl said with a quiet chuckle.

As the night air grew much colder the two couples went to Gavin's apartment to watch a movie, Reiko making the choice of a romantic comedy for them to watch. Tatsuo had passed out on the couch before the movie ended so Gavin told Reiko and Nika to take the bed before he himself went to sleep in one of his more comfortable chairs.

The next day, just after being dismissed from classes, with no races or practice from the students being allowed because of a full staff meeting and a meeting involving Ryosuke and a few of the sponsors after that, Tatsuo received a text from Mikio with his challenge for Reiko. Reiko immediately took the phone and accepted the challenge before anyone could even try to talk her out of it.

"Are you sure you're up to racing in Akagi again after so long between true challenges?" Tatsuo said with a concerned tone.

"I'm ready, after all we practice together and it's proven that you two are faster than he is, so what do I have to worry about?" Reiko asked calmly as she handed her twin brother his phone back.

"Reiko, he's been getting a lot better according to my contacts at Irohazaka, someone actually called foul play on him last weekend," the black haired man answered still looking worried, "Not to mention he's got a new car since our races against him."

"And we've improved enough to race against the staff, not to mention that you and Nika here are nipping at the heels of that lap time already," Gavin said joining the conversation, "Stop being so pessimistic once in a while."

"She's your girlfriend and teammate, how can you not be worried about this?" Tatsuo replied in an uncharacteristic snap.

"Because I have confidence in her skills, if she really went all out against me, I think she'd walk away the victor," Gavin replied unaffected by his classmates tone.

"Question," Nika said jumping into the conversation, "Why did someone call foul play on Mikio?"

"I'm not entirely sure what happened, but it's been said by the witnesses at the first bridge that Mikio saved the guy from hitting the guardrail before driving on to the win," Tatsuo said regaining his calm.

"Okay so Mikio made a move to save his opponent?" Reiko said with a surprised tone that matched her two classmates' faces, "Definitely new for him."

"Well either way, you accepted and now you can't back out, so Akagi, at ten o'clock Saturday," Tatsuo said giving up trying to talk his sister out of racing.

As Saturday came closer Reiko spent every spare moment chasing Gavin up and down Akagi as practice for her race with Mikio. She got a new set of tires from the school the morning of the race and left her car in the parking area for the remainder of the class day.

At nine thirty that night the sounds of engines making their way to observation points all along the course as well as screaming tires from cars just out having a little fun before the real race started could be heard from the lower parking area, where Reiko and Nika were waiting for Mikio to show up. Gavin and Tatsuo were doing a little uphill practicing with the rest of the people, agreeing to wait at the top of the course for the race.

"Any idea why she wanted you up here?" Tatsuo asked through the radio as he and Gavin parked their cars.

"I have one, but you'd hate to hear that about your sister so I'll keep it to myself for now," the buzz cut blonde answered with a chuckle before stepping out of his car with his radio still on his hip and the ear piece in place, "Okay Reiko, we're at the top and the course is clearing out."

Back at the bottom Reiko had just sent Nika to the summit and Mikio and his Emperors had shown up for the race.

"So I take it we're running uphill tonight then?" Mikio asked with a chuckle.

"If you don't mind, I don't get many opportunities to do so," Reiko replied with a smile.

The two drivers stepped back to their cars and waited for the course to clear off before moving to the starting line of the uphill course. As the call came from the corners that the course was clear one of the Emperors took his place between the two cars.

"FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE…..GO!" the man shouted before the two cars flew on to the course.

The 2000 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI took the lead as they entered the first right hand corner, the RX-8 very close on its bumper. As the two cars flew into the hairpins Reiko followed the Lan-Evo through the first hairpins and just sat back in her seat watching for any opening.

"Gavin, I know you're listening, Mikio really has improved, I'm at seventy percent and just barely keeping up," Reiko said as they cleared the first hairpins.

"Understood, bump it up and take him down Reiko," Gavin's voice replied with an almost audible smirk.

As they entered the first set of multiple s-turns Reiko moved her SE3P so close to the Lan-Evo VI's back bumper that she was using its headlights to see the road. Mikio noticed the change and pushed his foot a little closer to the floor, pulling away slightly before having to slow down for the next hairpin.

'_Pushing him could be easier than I thought,' _Reiko thought as she moved back onto the Lan-Evo's bumper after clearing the hairpin.

The two cars remained pinned together as they moved through the next few corners. The Lan-Evo and its driver went to tackle the very inside line of a long left hander but he was cut off by the SE3P and was forced to change his line and watch Reiko slip past him. As the SE3P slid through the corner as close to the guardrails as Reiko could get she heard the front bumper graze the guardrail as she moved into the lead.

"She's fucking crazy," Mikio muttered as he pushed his car towards his opponent's bumper.

"The SE3P just moved into the lead, her bumper hit the guardrail right in front of me," someone on the sidelines reported from the corner.

At the summit Nika and Tatsuo were looking worried about her reasoning for getting that close to the guardrail while Gavin just laid back on his hood with a smile forming on his lips.

"Well done Reiko, now you can really finish this," the buzz cut blonde said just loud enough to be heard by the radio's microphone, and heard Reiko chuckle quietly.

The SE3P pushed through the next hairpins opening the gap slightly before entering the second set of multiple s-turns. The Lan-Evo VI was losing ground and Mikio was getting frustrated because he couldn't figure out why. As the last corner set loomed ahead he managed to close the gap slightly but it wouldn't be enough to win the race yet.

"The Lan-Evo has fallen behind, but it's possible it's still in the running," the radio in Tatsuo's hand rang.

Tatsuo was starting to see why Gavin had been so relaxed about this race. Mikio was expecting a downhill race, it was Reiko's specialty and his own, but the change in plan must have destroyed any strategy he had.

"Gavin, you knew about her racing uphill didn't you?" The black haired man asked as he turned to the older man laid out on the hood of the FD just behind him.

"Yup, over what was left of this week we've been here practicing the uphill, we didn't tell Mikio because Reiko wanted it that way," Gavin replied with a smile from ear to ear before closing his eyes.

"Is that why she asked you up here?" Nika asked with a suspicious look.

"I can honestly say I have no clue why she sent Tatsuo and I up here, that is for her to tell us when she gets here," the buzz cut blonde said with the smile still on his face.

Back on the course Reiko was now about a car length away from Mikio and his Lan-Evo as she cleared the third hairpin of the corner set. She was smiling from ear to ear just enjoying the fact she was going to win this race, her first official uphill battle.

"This is the last corner, the RX-8 has this in the bag unless that Lan-Evo has some kind of trick in its engine," one of the guys at the last corner said as the RX-8 slid past him and headed for the finish line, the Lan-Evo clearing the corner not even a second later.

As Reiko pulled into the parking area after having crossed the finish line where Nika and most of the crowd were going absolutely crazy, both cars were immediately surrounded to the point where they could no longer move safely through the flood of people, nor could the drivers actually get out of the cars.

"Gavin, is there any way to clear these people out of here? Mikio and I are trapped in the cars," Reiko said with a nervous chuckle as a random person's body was slammed against her car.

The sound of the FD's twin turbo 20B rotary engine tore through the cheers as did the sound of Nika's V6 which seemed to catch the crowd's attention enough for the racers to move out of the people slowly and safely. Once the two cars were parked both Reiko and Mikio thanked Gavin and Nika for their small assist in getting them away from the mob scene.

"So why did you send me up here before the race?" Gavin asked as the crowds started to thin out after the main event.

"To set a prize for myself," Reiko whispered in his ear as she hugged him, "I told myself that if I won, you'd give me the greatest kiss ever."

"I should have agreed to that first, I don't want you to have to leave your car here because you're too weak in the knees to drive," Gavin said with a joking grin before leaning down slightly to kiss her.

Mikio cleared his throat bringing the team's attention back to their longest standing opponent.

"Reiko, seems congratulations are in order on two fronts, nice way to screw up a strategy by the way, never thought you'd want to run the uphill," Mikio said with a chuckle, "So what else have I missed since my race against Tatsuo?"

"Nika and Tatsuo are officially dating, as are Gavin and I," Reiko answered with a smile, "Gavin raced against Keisuke-sensei earlier this week, he kept up rather well but still lost and I plan to race Kyoko-sensei before the end of the month."

"Well, looks like I've still got a ways to go before I race you again Gavin-san," Mikio said with an amazed tone, "I may drop by the course to take a few laps, just to see where I stand."

"If you're interested in racing me in this new car of yours, I'll take you on and you can see where you really stand," Nika offered with a determined smirk.

"Not tonight, I have to be back in the Tochigi prefecture before 2 am, I got swapped to the second graveyard shift for a little while at work," Mikio said as he checked his watch.

Mikio and his team said a quick goodbye before heading back down the mountain and heading for their own homes. Project GT followed their example and went their separate ways at the base after putting on a small show for the remaining crowds at the corners the whole way down.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

About a week after the race in Akagi, Reiko was making her way towards Gavin's apartment with her twin brother right behind her so he could pick up Nika for a day to just relax, have some good food and play some video games. Reiko arrived a few minutes before Gavin was expecting them; he had explained he'd have a student right up till they arrived so she sat in her harvest gold RX-8 and waited for her brother and Nika to arrive.

Reiko watched her boyfriend's door while waiting to see which student he had scheduled this time. She knew only a small few since she had met a couple during her time as a student; all of them were younger than her though. When the door opened it revealed a very young girl, probably around middle school age, who very sweetly kissed Gavin on the cheek before running to her ride and leaving. Reiko put on an extremely falsified angry look and started towards the door.

"Hey Reiko, guess you saw her leave then," Gavin said looking a little nervous.

"So what did she kiss you for?" Reiko asked with a tone that matched the false anger on her face.

"She always has, never did ask why," The buzz cut blonde replied casually; when he'd heard her actually speak he knew she wasn't really mad, "So what can I do to make up for this transgression of mine?"

Reiko giggled quietly as Gavin bowed very low with one hand on his chest and the other down by his side like an English butler might when his services were complimented. The black haired young lady said nothing as she stepped by her boyfriend and went inside.

The couple sat talking for a few minutes before Tatsuo and Nika arrived. Gavin stepped into the kitchen and started on the food that was requested with Tatsuo's almost useless help.

"Where do you keep your spices?" the black haired man asked with his head in the small pantry.

"Tatsuo, get out and send your sister in here if you want someone to help me so bad," the buzz cut blonde laughed as he shook a small spice container next to Tatsuo's ear.

"Fine, but you know what she'll say if she's started up one of those games of yours," Tatsuo replied with a chuckle as he stepped out of the kitchen space, "Although, since she's your girlfriend now she may not put up a fight this time."

"I wouldn't count on it if I were you," Gavin responded with a chuckle.

Once Reiko was in the kitchen things went a great deal smoother for Gavin, especially since Reiko would cook when she couldn't find something. In the small living area Nika was teaching Tatsuo how to play one of the many racing games Gavin owned. The cornbread, steamed vegetables and Gavin's fried okra were placed on the table as soon as they were finished to save space in the kitchen. The main course for this gathering, pan fried Tilapia with a lemon and pepper seasoning, was being cooked last since it wouldn't take as long as the rest.

About an hour after their arrival Gavin called everyone to the table. Each served their own plates, Gavin taking the last two pieces of fish for himself and the last of the other foods to save room in his small refrigerator. As they ate Gavin brought up the subject of the staff races.

"So who do you want to race Nika?" the buzz cut blonde asked before taking another bite of his first piece of fish.

"I think I'm going to race against Fujiwara-sensei," Nika replied after thinking for a few moments, "He presents the biggest challenge I think, and I think I could learn a lot from him."

Gavin seemed genuinely impressed that Nika would set such a high standard after seeing what Takumi could do in his Honda S2000. Tatsuo couldn't help but nod to the logic, same as his sister was doing.

"What about you Tatsuo? Who will you race when the time comes?" Reiko asked trying to keep the subject moving.

"If Nika races Fujiwara-sensei, that means I have to race Akiyama-sensei and his Levin," Tatsuo said with a small smile.

"You know you can race whoever you want to right?" Gavin asked with a chuckle, "I don't think any feelings will be hurt if you picked someone who's already raced against us."

"I considered racing any one of them before deciding to go after Kyoko and her black FD," Reiko said looking at her brother confusedly, "I want to learn her throttle techniques the way her husband did, so I'm going to request the fun layout."

"What about Nobuhiko-san?" Gavin asked bringing up the forgotten classroom only teacher.

"Well I don't know that he would think about racing us, especially considering we all saw him get passed by his cousin," Nika said with a small shrug.

"Well they did say ANY member of the staff, I'm sure he knows he's included," Tatsuo said with the same 'who really knows' tone.

"Well either way, it's up to us who we race, so whoever doesn't get picked will really just have to be left out," Gavin said as he started on his second piece of fish.

"So what are you going to do against Kyoko-sensei?" Nika asked looking towards Reiko.

"I don't know yet, my best bet is to trail her for the first lap and then try and win," The curly black haired girl said taking the last bite off her plate.

"Well on the fun layout you'll have some time to relax and watch for a time, just try and get comfortable with the pace quick otherwise you'll get left behind," Gavin said calmly before noticing the looks Tatsuo and Nika were giving him and adding, "I say that because I have the distinct feeling that Keisuke-sensei was toying with me for the first lap."

After they all finished their meals Gavin and Reiko cleared the table and put everything in the dishwasher, leaving the cast iron skillet he had used for the okra and the pan used for the fish in the sink. Nika and Tatsuo went back to the video game before being joined by the other two. They all played a few races together before Reiko decided, after losing several times, that it was time for a movie. She picked out one of the very few romantic comedy movies in Gavin's collection and put it in while Gavin put on some popcorn.

Once the movie started all conversation died while Nika and Tatsuo were snuggled together on the couch and Reiko and Gavin were in his biggest chair, Reiko sitting on his lap and watching the movie. When the movie ended the team went out to Mt. Akagi just to have some fun and for Reiko to practice a little bit before her race with Kyoko.

Tatsuo was waiting at the base of the pass for the others when he received a text message from the Usui Sparks leader for Project GT to join them for a gathering at the base of Usui the next night, to which he agreed after asking everyone else through the radios. After a few more runs each they went back to Gavin's and fell asleep watching another movie.

The next night Project GT arrived together at Usui pass almost an hour after the requested time. They found two Nissan Silvias of the Night Wolves and the Sparks teams parked close to each other and their owners talking as music filled the air from several cars. The crowds stopped as Gavin revved his engine a few times before shutting down the 20B rotary engine before he and his teammates joined the others.

About an hour later the sounds of approaching engines derailed the conversation between the leaders of the two major teams and Project GT; the four men and two women looked towards the entrance. Three silver cars pulled into the area and immediately took the three open spaces by the entrance. The cars were an R32, an R34, and an S15 with stickers reading Street Kings on their rear quarter panels.

"Reynolds-san, I should have figured that Project GT would come to a gathering like this," said a girl with long straight black hair as the three drivers approached the teams.

"Yeah, we're here just having fun tonight though, enjoying any races that may go down," Gavin responded with a chuckle, "What brings the Street Kings to Usui this evening Shinagawa-chan?"

"Oh just a challenge," the young lady replied with a shrug.

"We've come to challenge you guys," Shou Enomoto said looking at the Night Wolves leader who didn't notice since he was looking towards Project GT.

"We're not taking challenges right now, we're a little overly busy with training," Nika answered thinking the challenge was for them.

"Not to be disrespectful, but I was talking to the leader of the Night Wolves," Shou responded with a chuckle before getting a confused look on his face as the leader of the Night Wolves once again turned to Nika, "Why are you looking at her? She's not on your team."

"No, but she does run my team in a way, we have to clear out when she calls and we can only race when she says so," The Night Wolves leader responded with a chuckle at the stunned faces of the Street Kings team.

"I don't get it, why do you have to do that?" Takako asked looking from one person in the group to the next.

"Well, I wanted Myogi for my team to call home, so we raced for it, I lost pretty spectacularly, and since she's pretty well known at that mountain, we answer to her," the black haired man responded moving off the hood of his S15.

"He's leaving out the fact that I publicly called him out on his cheating ways and it was the only way he'd get the course for his team since I won," Nika said with a quiet chuckle as the Night Wolves leader's jaw nearly hit the ground.

"Well we're not looking for a home course, just a challenging race," Shou said with a hand out, "Myogi, ten o'clock this Saturday?"

"You're on," the Night Wolves said after getting a nod from Nika, "Now join the party and let's have some fun."

The rest of the night was spent watching a few of the Sparks and Night Wolves showing off some in the parking lot doing donuts and dancing to some of the music that was being played from several of the cars in the lot. As the night turned to early morning the teams began to break up a few cars at a time.

By two o'clock the only cars left in the parking area were the Usui Sparks' green S13, the Myogi Night Wolves' black S15, the Street Kings' silver R32 and Project GT's pearl blue Z33.

"Okay, so why do you want to challenge the Night Wolves?" Nika asked looking directly at Shou.

"Well as a team you've beaten and them being a team you've beaten, I figure why not see how they'd stand against us," Shou answered calmly.

"Alright Night Wolf, you're on the roster for this one so you better not get into your old ways, remember our deal," the brown haired young woman said in a commanding tone.

"Yes Your Majesty, no intentional bumps unless I have a death wish," the Night Wolves leader responded with a low bow drawing a laugh from the other two team leaders and an annoyed look from Nika.

"Ummm, quick question before I head out," Shou said with an extremely confounded look on his face, "What's with the 'Your Majesty' bit?"

"According to his particular group of idiots I'm the woman to beat on Mt. Myogi since I hold top times in both the uphill and downhill," Nika answered glaring at the Night Wolves leader, "They call me the Queen of Myogi because of that."

"We also do so because, as stated before, she practically runs my team," the black haired leader of the Night Wolves added with a smirk.

Nika simply shook her head before getting into her car and driving off to meet Tatsuo at an all night diner for an extremely early breakfast. They spent the time sharing a few stories before going their separate ways for what was left of the night.

Later in the morning Ryosuke was filling out some paperwork in his office at his family's clinic in Takasaki when his secretary came in.

"Dr. Takahashi, your brother is on line three for you," the young woman said before ducking back out of the office.

"Yes Keisuke, what is it?" the brown haired man asked once the phone was to his ear.

"The guy from Motegi is at the school, figured you'd want to have a chat while I mediate the race between Ms. Sasaki and Kyoko," Keisuke's voice came through the phone.

"Alright, I'll be there as soon as I can," Ryosuke answered before hanging up the phone and pressing the button to contact his secretary, "I'll be taking the rest of today off once I've finished up this paper work."

"Yes Sir, I'll start taking messages now," the young lady's voice said through the speaker.

About an hour later Ryosuke arrived at the school. The students had just arrived and the track maintenance crews were setting things up for the race that was to be going on. Ryosuke's presence went totally unnoticed by the students as each one gave their classmate some form of advice.

"Takahashi-san, your brother told me to go out to Akagi a couple nights ago, I must say I'm impressed with your students," a man with short jet black hair said as Ryosuke approached him.

"I'm pretty impressed with their progress as well," Ryosuke responded while shaking the man's hand, "Keisuke is under the impression two of them are ready to move on to using the GT cars."

"So when are you going to bring this project of yours to Motegi?" the man asked as they turned to watch the students, "I know that's what you wanted to do when this whole thing started at least."

"Soon. These four seem to pull each other along, it would be a bad idea to separate them now," the brown haired man answered, "Plus they will need time to adjust to the GT cars we have, Keisuke wants to start them on bad weather driving as well."

"Alright, give me a call at least two weeks in advance since you want them on the course with some other teams," the man said with a serious tone.

As the two stood watching from just inside the school, Reiko and Kyoko were lining up on the track for their race, Kyoko using Keisuke's FD instead of her own since her's was left at home.

At the pit lane guardrails, Gavin and Tatsuo had taken notice of the custom white FC sitting in the staff area, but chose not to bring it up for the sake of Reiko's nerves. Nika was too busy talking to Reiko about her plan to notice that neither of the guys were anywhere near the car.

"Okay, you set Reiko?" Nika asked as she pulled the last strap tight on the four point harness in the RX-8.

"Yeah, now would you stop trying to distract me from my nerves? Because you're also killing my concentration," Reiko's muffled laughter came from the helmet she had on.

After Nika stepped away Gavin stood between the two cars already having agreed to start the race at Reiko's request.

"FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE…GO!" the blonde shouted right before the two cars flew past him.

The two cars launched off the start line, the yellow mica FD driven by Kyoko quickly taking the lead spot as the tires of the SE3P spun slightly before grabbing the pavement and sending the harvest gold machine chasing after its opponent.

"Now it starts," Gavin muttered as he watched the cars move through the first of the tighter corners.

"What does that mean?" Nika asked keeping her eyes on the cars.

"Takahashi-sensei is leading this race and now they're getting into what Reiko wanted to see," Tatsuo answered as the two cars moved onto the braking course and its first left handed hairpin.

On the course Reiko was just starting to settle into the pace Kyoko had set when the FD began to pull away, upping the pace as they came out of the hairpin.

'_Damn, should have seen that coming,' _the black haired young woman thought as she pushed the accelerator a little closer to the floor.

The SE3P began to catch up to the FD as they entered the next right hand corner that led into a straight. Clearing the v-turn's apex, Kyoko spotted the harvest gold Mazda enter the same turn out of the corner of her eye before it quickly closed in on the same line and practically climbed into the FD's tail pipe through the next straight.

"Alright, way to go Reiko!" Nika shouted from the sidelines as the two cars flew through the straight.

Gavin and Tatsuo simply shook their heads as the two cars entered the three hairpins. Reiko was making good time through the hairpins but a gap had opened up between her and the FD she was chasing. After coming into the straight the SE3P made quick work of catching up through the long corners that remained of the first lap.

"Now I'm really impressed, the FD is doing very well against the SE3P," the man standing with Ryosuke said with a chuckle.

"That's because the student is in the RX-8, not the other way around," Ryosuke replied with a quiet chuckle, "Reiko Sasaki is to be one of the drivers in GT500 along with Gavin Reynolds."

"Okay so I'll swap it and say that the SE3P is doing well against an instructor," the man said causing both men to chuckle.

Throughout the second lap Reiko was chewing on the bumper of the FD, causing a serious amount of concern in Gavin.

"Which of you has Reiko?" the buzz cut blonde asked his teachers as they watched the cars continue flying through the v-turn on each other's tails.

"I do, would you like me to say something for you?" Takumi asked with a small smile on his face and his hand over the microphone on his headset.

"Just tell her to chill out, her car will need an overhaul if she keeps up this pace," Gavin said without taking his eyes off the harvest gold SE3P, the concern showing in his eyes.

Takumi relayed the message and almost immediately the SE3P backed off slightly as they entered the third lap. Kyoko noticed the change and began to open the gap slightly. Reiko pushed to keep up forgetting about her car's engine and Gavin's message.

'_I have to win this, I have to prove I'm just as good as Gavin,' _Reiko thought as she flew through the course's first long corners with as little braking as possible to catch up with the FD.

Once again Gavin was obviously concerned, but now Tatsuo and Nika were as well; they knew that Reiko could handle the g-forces and the car itself, what none of them were sure of was if the car could stand the beating it was taking as it was pushed beyond its normal speeds.

As the two cars approached the exit of the course's first hairpin, Kyoko caught a glimpse of the SE3P in her rearview mirror as it began sliding off its chosen line.

"Keisuke, she's gonna crash that thing if she keeps this up, the tires are starting to give on the FD, her's must be gone by now," the dirty blonde haired woman said as the two cars entered the straight after the hairpin.

"We've noticed and Mr. Reynolds has already tried to calm her down some, seems it didn't work," Keisuke's voice responded with the same concerns lacing his tone.

On the course Reiko was fighting her RX-8 with everything she had as she neared the final three hairpins. Taking the first right hairpin she heard and felt a pop of some sort as she went through it and the tail slid out wildly.

Back inside the school's main building Ryosuke and the black haired man whose presence brought him to the school were watching the race on one of the screens linked to the cameras overlooking the course.

"Seems your student has gotten impatient," the black haired man said with a small chuckle.

"No, something is wrong, either the tires are shot from being pushed too hard or something in the suspension is broken," Ryosuke said pushing a button causing the camera to zoom in on the next corner, the last of the three hairpins, "I'm thinking the latter, it's sliding out from the back but the front seems to be holding."

The two men watched as the same thing that happened in the first happen in the final right one and the rear of the car slid way out of her intended line; she managed to save it but only just. In the car Reiko heard a metallic pang ring through the car as she fought with the car to keep it on the road.

"Fujiwara-sensei, I'm finishing this race, but I think something broke in my suspension," Reiko said once they were clear of the hairpins and she didn't have to fight so much, "Oh, don't tell Gavin."

"Alright then, pull it into the bay as usual after you've completed your cool down lap," Takumi responded before turning to Wataru and covering the microphone, "Wataru, give the RX-8 a full going over when we're done with the race."

Wataru simply nodded and started making his way back towards the maintenance bays just off the school's private track. Reiko and Kyoko came around the last corner with the RX-8 just even with the back side of the FD's rear tires as they crossed the line. Reiko just managed to get the harvest gold machine to the first right hand corner before it could take no more and turned sideways across the track in the middle of the corner.

"She broke something," Gavin said with a small chuckle while shaking his head.

"You are way too level headed right now," Nika said noticing that Tatsuo looked at least slightly panicked.

"We've all dealt with broken parts before," the buzz cut blonde responded, "Wasn't once worried about her, just the car."

His brown haired classmate's jaw nearly hit the ground at this statement before she saw Tatsuo smile and heard the RX-8 begin to move towards the maintenance bays on the opposite end of pit lane.

When Reiko joined her classmates in pit lane she saw that her brother and boyfriend were smiling while Nika was giving them a hard time about not being worried about the right things at the right times.

"I take it these two were more worried about my car than me," Reiko said with a smile as she stepped up behind Nika.

"Yeah and honestly being your brother and your boyfriend, they should be more worried about you than a hunk of metal and carbon fiber," Nika said still glaring at the two men.

"Nika, to Tatsuo and Gavin a car isn't just a dead piece of metal, it's a living breathing machine with a personality of its own," the curly black haired girl said with no trace of sarcasm as Tatsuo and Gavin nodded their agreement as she stepped past Nika and leaned against Gavin's chest.

"That's a good way to think about a car," Ryosuke said from just behind the access gate, "If you don't take care of your pet it dies, if you don't love it, it won't obey, same as a car."

"Not to mention the fact some don't like other drivers," Gavin said jokingly causing everyone to laugh.

"Keisuke, can we arrange a little track time for me?" Ryosuke asked as he turned his attention to his brother.

"Any time you like Aniki, it is your school after all," the spiky bleach blonde said with a grin, "Maybe you can show these kids a thing or two."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

As Ryosuke prepared himself to make a three lap stint on the course the students were making bets on just how many seconds the legendary White Comet of Akagi, leader of the RedSuns team and the still legendary Project D, would beat the lap time Takumi set in the S2000 nearly a year before.

"So, how does it feel to be where you are right now Aniki?" Keisuke asked as he held the radio and helmet while Ryosuke climbed into his FC.

"Like I don't belong here anymore," Ryosuke said with a small smile, "It's been so long, I still practice, but I can't even remember how many years it's been since I was on a track."

The brown haired doctor put on the helmet and opened the visor so he could hear his brother.

"If you want to take five laps we have time," Keisuke said while placing the radio in the FC's door panel.

"No, you need to have a track session today," the brown haired man said calmly through the helmet he now wore, "Besides, I only have time for three laps before I should go back to the clinic."

Keisuke just shook his head and closed the helmet's visor before walking over to the pit area and putting on his headset.

"Alright Aniki, just say check if you can hear me," Keisuke said receiving a quick reply, "You know the rules here; you helped write them, Takumi will give you the go."

Takumi did as asked and the FC pulled away from the line at almost traffic speeds rather than the almost race worthy speeds the people there were used to seeing. Gavin started to smile as the FC began to pick up its pace through some of the tighter corners near the end of the course.

"Think Ryosuke-san will come close to the lap times?" Nika asked for anyone to answer.

"Only if he really knows that car as he supposedly used to," Keisuke answered with his hand over the microphone.

As the FC entered its second lap its pace nearly doubled as Ryosuke began getting a feel for his car again with a smirk slowly creeping to his lips. The first four corners went by quickly as Ryosuke moved through them at nearly full throttle; as the FC came into the first hairpin the tail slid out as it went into a near perfect four wheel drift.

"Okay, now I'm impressed," Gavin said as the car pulled out of the drift and continued its high speed trek to the next corner.

"I've seen you do that before, so what about his drifting impresses you so much?" Reiko asked sarcastically.

"Because according to Kyoko-san, Ryosuke-san hasn't raced in over six years now, it's been even longer since he's been on a track," Gavin said still staring at the FC as it cleared the v-turn, "Don't know about you, but to see him do that after so long, it's pretty damn impressive to me."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," the curly black haired girl said with an impressed tone of her own.

On the course the FC was sliding through the first of the triple hairpins at an impressive speed. Ryosuke switched the direction of the slide and cleared the second hairpin still sliding. The third of the hairpins was less impressive as the FC took the corner by grip since it had slowed so much through the previous two.

"And now starts the real time attack lap," Keisuke muttered with a smile.

As the FC crossed the start line the 13B rotary engine screamed with an almost unnatural tone as it tore through what was left of the straight before braking into the first corner. Once the FC cleared the first corner the unnatural scream returned as it tore through the next three corners without so much as a blink from the brake lights. Entering the fourth corner of the current layout the tail slid out just enough for the car to clear the corner before it switched directions and continued through the next open left at nearly full throttle.

"He's on pace, but I don't think he'll hit it Keisuke, would you tell him to calm down before he breaks the FC?" Takumi said with a chuckle.

"He'll be fine," the spiky haired man replied as he watched the car clear the second corner after the first hairpin.

On the course Ryosuke's grin was now prominent on his face as he approached the v-turn. He slammed the brakes allowing the FC to slide through the corner driven only by the throttle before it flew towards the last hairpins.

"Just remember you have to do a cool down lap after this," Keisuke's voice said through the radio, "If the old FC will stand up to it that is."

"I know Keisuke," Ryosuke replied as he braked hard and turned into the first hairpin.

As Ryosuke cleared the last hairpin the unnatural scream returned to the rotary engine beneath his hood. The FC maneuvered through the remaining corners with almost graceful movements and crossed the line just over Takumi's lap time.

"You missed Takumi's time by just one second Aniki, impressive for being out of the seat so long," Keisuke said with quiet chuckle.

"I just want to know how low that time has really gotten since it was set," Ryosuke's voice replied as the FC continued through its cool down lap.

"Not as much as you'd think, only a second has been shaved off and it was very little bits at a time," the spiky blonde said with a smile.

Soon Ryosuke was on his way back to the Takahashi clinic and the track crew was moving the delimiting walls to open the throttle based course.

"Ms. Sasaki, the pop you said you heard during your last lap was the shock absorber blowing out on the left rear side of the car. The second one you mentioned was the spring snapping in the next right handed corner," Wataru said from behind the students as everyone waited for the track to be ready, "Young lady, you had no suspension left on the back left side of your car."

"I won't be driving home tonight will I?" Reiko asked with a serious tone that matched Wataru's.

"You will be able to since you don't have any lessons with the mechanics today thanks to your race and Ryosuke's laps," the black haired man said with a chuckle as he turned to go back in the garage area.

"I can't believe you are that insane Reiko," Gavin said with a chuckle, "At least it was only for a couple corners, not the last half of the race."

"Well we can attribute my momentary insanity to you, I was chasing after you," Reiko said with a chuckle before muttering, "Just like I have been since I met you."

"Alright students, the track is ready, Mr. Reynolds and Ms. Mahara you have the track first for the day," Keisuke said from the other end of the pit lane.

Gavin turned to walk away but stopped and turned back around and hugged Reiko.

"You don't have to chase me anymore," whispered the buzz cut blonde before walking away to retrieve his fire suit and helmet.

As what was left of the class day continued Reiko had managed to beat her fastest lap in the trainer cars by a full second and came very close to Gavin's. Before being dismissed Tatsuo decided to take to the track in his RX-8 for a try at the lap time.

As Tatsuo started his laps, Gavin and Reiko continued the conversation that had begun before the day's track time started while Nika kept her eye on her boyfriend.

"So what did you mean when you said I didn't have to chase you anymore Gavin?" Reiko asked keeping her attention off her twin brother for the time being.

"Reiko if you keep chasing me you'll get held back, you're better than me, your lap times today proved that quite nicely," the buzz cut blonde answered with no trace of sarcasm in his tone.

"Gavin, how can I be better? I can't even win a downhill battle against your WAY over powered FD," the black haired girl nearly shouted.

"Well I have a small advantage built into my car on that kind of course," Gavin said with a nervous chuckle as he scratched his ear.

"I'll be expecting an explanation to that comment Mr. Reynolds," Keisuke said from behind his student, "According to Kyoko your car has a 20B twin turbo rotary engine and a modified suspension system, is there some modification she missed?"

"Yes and no Sir, my FD has a six speed transmission in it, being tuned to nearly 400 horsepower the torque came up with it, I kept running out of transmission before running out of power, only my shift knob shows it as a five speed," the buzz cut blonde explained quickly and rather nervously due to Keisuke's angered appearance, "I will tell you now, the sixth gear has never been used on this course Sir."

"Well make sure it doesn't stay that way Mr. Reynolds; I for one would like to see that car used to its full potential if at all possible," Keisuke said before rejoining the staff and notifying Kyoko of the transmission modification in the FD.

"So why did you need the sixth gear if you've been racing in the mountains all the time?" Reiko asked after watching her brother finish his second lap.

"I didn't always race the downhill and I didn't always race in the mountains," Gavin said before turning his attention to the track ignoring the questioning look on both Reiko and Nika's faces.

Only when Tatsuo finished his laps did the other students find out that he'd matched the lap time necessary to race the staff member of his choosing. Nika immediately ran to the driver's door of the SE3P as the black haired young man climbed out of it and hugged him.

"Akiyama-sensei, I'd like to race you Sir," Tatsuo said before anyone else could move to congratulate him, "Not right away of course, but when you've gotten used to Fujiwara-sensei's S2000 if he will allow it."

"Trying to level the playing field for his sake Mr. Sasaki?" Keisuke asked with a genuinely curious tone.

"Only because I'd like to race him on the throttle course Sir," the black haired young man replied with total honesty.

"I think it will be alright for him to use my car, I'm interested to see how he does with it," Takumi said with a laugh as the others were still trying to figure out the request.

Once everything was sorted out with the staff and his classmates Tatsuo pulled Gavin towards the garages to go look at his sister's car.

"So, is there some reason I'm standing here staring at your sister's fixed car?" Gavin asked as Tatsuo looked the new parts over.

"I wanted to ask you for a couple cooking lessons," the black haired young man replied not taking his eyes off the harvest gold SE3P in front of him, "Just a few dishes so I can cook dinner for Nika."

"Alright, we've got tomorrow off so they can rebuild the trainer cars' engines again so come on over to my place around lunch time and we'll see what we can do," the buzz cut blonde said before leaving Tatsuo with the car.

The students split up for what was left of the day; Reiko went to Akagi for a quick run down the pass to test out the new suspension pieces while Tatsuo and Nika went to their own homes and Gavin went to do a little grocery shopping.

"So what is it you're planning on cooking for Nika?" Gavin asked as he let Tatsuo into his apartment.

"I don't really know exactly," the black haired man said with a shrug as he took off his fleece jacket, "She does like fish, she couldn't stop talking about the tilapia you cooked us the other day."

"Okay so let's stick with that then," the buzz cut blonde said before stepping into the kitchen with Tatsuo close behind.

As Gavin went through his recipe box he went over the basics of cooking fish while Tatsuo stood and listened until his teammate and teacher found the recipe he was looking for. Tatsuo read the card as Gavin found everything that would be needed. The two men spent half the afternoon going over the menu for Tatsuo's dinner, how to season the fish and cooking the vegetables.

"Okay, the only thing I have to point out in how you were doing the fish is try not to flip it so much, might fall apart while you're still trying to cook it," Gavin said as he took a bite of Tatsuo's guided cooking, "Take that recipe we used with you when you go over, to miss something would be just as bad."

"Well with all I've taken in today I'll just have to hope I don't plain leave something out because of nerves," Tatsuo laughed.

"Well, now that you've decided on your menu, we'll go to the store and pick everything up, I'll keep it here till you come get it," the buzz cut blonde said with a smile.

Once the shopping was done Gavin went over how to cook the main vegetable since it was more complicated than the main course. Tatsuo left everything they'd bought at Gavin's apartment under the agreement that it wouldn't get cooked until Tatsuo did it himself at Nika's apartment.

"Hey Nika, let's you and me have dinner tonight," Tatsuo said after classes ended for the day, the day after his cooking lessons with Gavin.

"Where did you have in mind?" the brown haired girl asked taking her hair out of its pony tail.

"Your place in about an hour," the black haired man said with a smile, "I've got to run by Gavin's first but I'll meet you there with the ingredients so don't start without me."

Nika just stood next to her pearl blue Z33 trying to figure out what Tatsuo meant as he got into his car and followed Gavin's FD out of the parking lot. As promised Tatsuo arrived at Nika's smallish one bedroom apartment an hour after leaving the school with Gavin, with a bag that held everything he had planned to make for her that evening.

"You didn't invite Gavin did you?" Nika asked looking out the door after Tatsuo had stepped in.

"No, but I figured I'm cooking so I should bring the stuff to cook," the black haired man answered with a smile.

"I didn't know you could cook," the brown haired young lady said with an incredulous look.

"I really can't, but I asked Gavin for a lesson on how to cook your favorites."

Nika helped her boyfriend find what he asked for but stayed out of the kitchen for the most part. When he was done Tatsuo plated the fish just the way Gavin had showed him and put the peas and oven roasted tomatoes around the edges. Nika was impressed at the appearance and flavor of Tatsuo's meal as they ate, the conversation centered on Tatsuo's learning to cook such a meal so quickly.

"Okay, how long have you been taking lessons from Gavin?" Nika asked as she finished off the fish.

"Just yesterday, but it's like Reiko has always said, he's a great tutor," Tatsuo answered with a laugh at his girlfriend's astounded look.

"Is there anything that guy can't do?"

"More than you'd think, aside from mechanics he's no good with his hands, couldn't fix a light switch without getting shocked half a dozen times," Tatsuo laughed, "Most of those models he's got were bought assembled or put together by his Dad."

"And yet he's a genius in the kitchen and in a car," Nika said shaking her head, "Let me ask you something, is there some reason Gavin has a six speed transmission in his FD?"

"Better ask him that," Tatsuo said as his laughter died quickly when she continued to wait for an answer, "I really don't know, I've only known him for three years now, he had the FD when I met him."

"Maybe I'll ask him at the race this weekend," Nika said with a shrug.

The two spent the rest of the evening watching movies while cuddled up on the couch. As the remainder of the week passed making twenty five laps got easier for each student and the lap times in the later laps were improving to show it.

"Twenty five laps from ten may have been too big a jump," Takumi said as they watched the 1967 Mazda Cosmo and the 1987 Toyota MR2 continue through the laps on the Saturday of the race between the Myogi Night Wolves and the Street Kings.

"You might be right, but Ryosuke said he wanted them in the GT cars before too long and up to regulation lap counts before they moved on," Wataru said without taking his eyes off the cars either, "And they are adjusting quicker than we expected."

At nine o'clock Project GT was at the summit of Mt. Myogi waiting for the race between the Myogi Night Wolves and the Street Kings to begin. It would be a single downhill race between the S15s of the two teams since the Night Wolves didn't have any real uphill talent. The roadsides all the way down the mountain were packed with people who were waiting for the race to begin. The Usui Sparks team was waiting at the bottom to say who won as the official mediators of the race.

"So who do you think is going to win?" Gavin asked as the two cars lined up, "My money is on the Street Kings this time."

"Why is that?" Nika asked with no malice towards the comment.

"I raced their downhiller and I've seen the leader of the Night Wolves go down a few times since he showed up, just looks to me like the Street Kings have more skill," the buzz cut blonde replied just before the countdown started.

The start of the race was a dead heat all the way into the first uphill right where Matsuda of the Street Kings held off braking just long enough to slip into the lead before flying through the corner and heading into the downhill section. As the two cars went into the second corner the silver S15 opened the gap just a little bit more.

"Oh come on," the Night Wolves leader shouted, pushing the throttle a little closer to the floor in a vain attempt to catch up to his opponent as they approached the first hairpin of the course.

"Looks like I was right," Gavin said with a chuckle as he heard the gap was opening through the hairpins, "Matsuda is cornering faster than Wolf boy."

"He has a name you know," an angered voice came from behind them.

"He's never told us what it is, so we have nothing else to call him," Gavin replied without turning his head.

"Yeah, so why don't you tell us what it is?" Nika said pulling out her position as the higher leader of the Night Wolves.

The young man that spoke up got very nervous and didn't speak for some time. The reports of his team leader falling further behind kept coming in as the two cars approached the second set of hairpins.

"Well come on then, what's his name?" Nika asked getting a little agitated at not getting answers, "It's pretty obvious he's from money since he can get two cars in two weeks' time."

"His name is Makato Fujimoto, his family runs some big time farming thing," the young man said never looking towards the members of Project GT.

"That explains so much about him, the new car within a week of crashing it into Mikio's Lan-Evo, the fast repair to the new one after banging into Nika's Z33 and the tux at the New Years gathering," Reiko said shaking her head slightly.

Back on the pass the two racers were approaching the second hairpin set and the Night Wolves leader was now nearly a full second behind the Street King's S15. He'd made up some time through the straighter sections but was yet again losing ground through the corners.

"I guess I'm not going to win this battle," the black haired man said as he let off the accelerator.

"It looks like the Night Wolves guy gave up, the gap is opening in the straight I'm at," a voice came through the radio causing the Night Wolves team to slump down.

Once the two cars arrived back at the summit the Night Wolves leader congratulated Matsuda before moving back to his group and explaining why he gave up in the end.

"Matsuda-san, I'd like to congratulate you on your win tonight and ask how you out ran him," Nika said pointing towards the Night Wolves leader.

"I just ran my usual race, out running him was a perk," Matsuda said with a smirk, "Though that run against your FD was a little humiliating so I've improved some since then as well."

"Yeah, Gavin is a nut case with that car," the brown haired woman chuckled.

"Hey Makato-kun, why didn't you give up the race sooner?" Gavin asked walking towards the Night Wolves team.

"Just thought I could catch him," the black haired leader of the Night Wolves said shaking his head, "Who told you my name?"

"One of your teammates got tired of us calling you Wolf boy all the time so he told us," Gavin said not pointing out which one it was that told them.

Makato just nodded before getting back in his S15 and leaving the mountain with his team close behind him as the Street Kings approached Project GT.

"Reynolds-san, I'd like to ask you for the use of Mt. Akina for my team, we're taking on a couple new members and we could use a place to practice," Shou Enomoto, leader of the Street Kings, said as politely as possible.

"Go ahead, we'll give you a heads up if we're coming, might even run a practice or two with you," Gavin said with a smile across his face.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

After their classes dismissed for the day Nika took to the course for a few laps. While she was on the course Gavin and Tatsuo were going over the FD's engine with Kyoko and Reiko. When Nika came off the course after completing a cool down lap her class and teammates met her car in its place on pit lane.

"Ms. Mahara, you managed to beat Takumi's lap time from your first day here, congratulations. You may choose your staff member any time," Keisuke said with a chuckle as the brown haired young lady's eyes went wide.

"Thank you for telling me Takahashi-sensei," Nika said with a slight bow.

"Let's all go celebrate Nika completing the set then, I'm buying," Tatsuo said with a smile as Reiko and Gavin quickly agreed.

As the students moved off the course after Keisuke's announcement, Wataru started his practice session in Takumi's S2000. Since it had been a rather short week since Tatsuo challenged the black haired man it was no longer a shock to see the Grand Prix white machine on the course before or after classes. They left the school and drove to a quiet little restaurant between Gavin and Nika's apartments. While they waited on their food orders Gavin and Tatsuo talked about his race against Wataru while Nika and Reiko planned another shopping trip with Emiko.

"Hey, we all know why we're here, to celebrate that Nika made our class' main goal and will soon be competing against the man who set that goal for us," Tatsuo said just after the waitress left their food on the table, "But she did something else as well, our little team here is going to move into using the GT spec cars as soon as her race with Fujiwara-sensei is completed."

"I haven't even told them who I want to race, how could you know that?" Nika asked in a shocked tone.

"I overheard Keisuke-san saying something about it before Akiyama-sensei took the course for his practice time," the black haired man replied with a huge smile, "I can't wait to get in that FD again, it may have less power than my SE3P but damn I love the feeling."

"I wouldn't mind taking a few laps in that FD just to see how different my own is," Gavin said with a smile of his own.

"Yeah, but we get to drive the NSX, it's faster than your FD is," Reiko said with a chuckle at the buzz cut blonde's insulted look.

"You can't let that slide Gavin, you have to race her, your FD against the NSX," Nika laughed as she pointed her fork at the man.

"You know, that's not such a bad idea, might finally get to use all of that six speed transmission on the course," Gavin said with a poorly hidden chuckle.

"Yeah, we can set it up after my race with Akiyama-sensei," Tatsuo said with a laugh at his twin sister's astonished face as the joke continued.

"Alright fine, it's a challenge then, if our teachers will allow it that is," Gavin said with a smirk as Reiko's face changed from astonished to one of total determination.

"Whoa, wait a minute, you're taking this seriously?" Tatsuo nearly shouted as his sister and her boyfriend stared at each other, "You know Keisuke-sensei would never allow something like that, so why even bother?"

"If I tell him I'm going to use my car's full potential in the race I see no reason for him not to allow it, with all the improvements we've made to it I've still been running against my car's fifth gear, it's time for it to show off a little," the buzz cut blonde said matching the serious tone his black haired classmate had used, "Besides, it might be the only way Reiko here can beat me." he added with a smirk.

After talking things over for a while longer, Tatsuo finally relented and joined in on the plan to put Gavin's FD on the course with the NSX to see who of the two drivers was truly the fastest in the class. They also talked about what Tatsuo would do in his race against Wataru when the time came before leaving the restaurant.

"Hey Tatsuo, do you know anywhere to look for body kits for my Z?" Nika asked through the radio as the couple made their way to her apartment.

"I designed one for it if you'd like to take a look at it," the black haired man responded, "Why are you looking for one though? Is the one you've got messed up or something?"

"Just want something a little more functional is all, this one is all flash to me these days," the brown haired young lady replied.

The rest of the short trip was quiet, when they arrived at Nika's apartment Tatsuo showed her the design for her Z33 that he'd started in the hospital and completed while he had the cast on his right arm.

"I like it, but I don't think I could handle the costs to have it made, installed and painted right now," Nika said standing over Tatsuo and staring at the screen of her computer.

"Well how about I cover the cost of making it and having it painted? Since I would be the one sending in the design to the fabricators," Tatsuo said not turning around.

"I can't let you do that, not if it's going on my car Tatsuo," the brown haired girl said with a saddened tone.

"Well how about we call it an early birthday present then?" the black haired man replied, "Besides, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't buy you something now and then?"

Nika just stared at him before smiling and wrapping him in a hug. The two spent what was left of the night watching a few race videos on the computer.

Meanwhile at Gavin's apartment Reiko and the buzz cut blonde were talking about their little impromptu challenge that sprung up out of nowhere.

"Why did you take the joke so far that it turned into a real challenge?" the curly black haired young woman asked from the couch.

"I didn't think it was a bad way to see who was better. You've got a horsepower advantage in the NSX, I've theoretically got no way to win," Gavin replied as he stepped out of the kitchen, "Might just prove that you are better than me."

"How would you being nearly a hundred horsepower down from me prove I'm better?" Reiko asked skeptically.

"Because you really are better darling."

"Gavin, why do you really have a six speed transmission in your FD?" the curly black haired young lady asked after some time just sitting.

"Well as you know grandpa bought me the car when I was fifteen, at seventeen I started drag racing it on base, I put the six speed in it then just to keep the 13B-REW that it came with in the power band a little longer," Gavin said leaning his head back, "After I got my license to drive legally I started road racing, it was also right around that time I found the 20B that's in it, the six speed just stayed; after I moved here for the mountains it became a necessity to keep the horsepower under control."

"Didn't you say that the 20B and racing came after your grandpa died?" the black haired young lady asked cuddling up to him.

"Well I lied about the timeline of things, he knew about the drag racing and the road racing, he really didn't approve though, but he helped me with the modifications none the less," the buzz cut blonde said with a saddened tone, "I moved out here just before he passed so I don't know that he knew about the mountains."

"Why not say so when you were asked?" Reiko asked taking her head off his shoulder.

"To be honest I don't know. I think he would have liked it better if I never started street racing, but seeing where it's gotten me now; I think he would be more than proud."

"I never got to meet him, but I'm sure you're right."

As the day came to a close for both couples Tatsuo had already called and arranged for Nika's new kit to be built, and ordered a new spoiler as well before falling asleep with Nika in his arms. Gavin and Reiko had fallen asleep on the couch while watching Reiko's favorite movie.

As the students gathered at the track two weeks after Tatsuo's beating the required lap time, Wataru met them wearing a racing suit with a helmet under his arm and the S2000 waiting quietly behind him on the track.

"Tatsuo Sasaki, whenever you're ready to race me, say the word," the long black haired man said with a smile, "Oh and your parts arrived as requested, Kyoko is waiting for Nika's Z in bay 4."

"I'd like to take a short amount of time to ask about something first Sir, but we can race today," Tatsuo replied as Nika moved her car to the school's main garage, "It requires Fujiwara-sensei and Takahashi-sensei's approval as well Sir."

"Well then ask what you want Mr. Sasaki, we do have a full schedule planned," Keisuke's voice came from the other end of the pit lane.

"Sir, Gavin and Reiko wish to race each other on the throttle course," Tatsuo paused, thinking twice about even asking the real question.

"That didn't sound like the question you really wanted to ask, so what is it?" Takumi asked calmly.

"Reiko wants to use the GT500 NSX to race Gavin's FD Sir," the black haired young man said failing to hide the nervousness in his tone, "They want to do this after my race with Akiyama-sensei."

"Takahashi-sensei, you asked to see my FD's full potential, this would give you that opportunity Sir," Gavin said noticing the looks Keisuke and Takumi were giving each other.

"Not yet, after two weeks in the GT cars you can have your race," the spiky blonde haired man answered, "This is solely for getting you both adjusted to the NSX before the race so we don't have to clean up a crash."

Gavin nodded and went to the garage to help Kyoko with the upgrades that Tatsuo told him he wanted done to Nika's Z33 besides the new body kit. Nika rejoined Reiko trackside after being kicked out of the garage to watch the race.

"Is there some reason I'm not allowed to work on my own car?" Nika asked as the two waited for Tatsuo to get ready.

"It's because you're his girlfriend, you should be here watching, plus you want to race the S2000 so this is the best time to watch it," Reiko said in a calming tone, "And I wasn't allowed to help on your car either so don't feel bad about it."

The engines of both cars roared to life catching the attention of both girls as Nobuhiko stood between the two cars ready to give the go.

"FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE…GO!" the tall black haired man shouted before the two cars flew by him.

The grand prix white S2000 was off the line and headed into the first corner with the Aztec gold SE3P hot on its bumper before anyone knew what was happening. The two cars made their way through the first long s-turn at full throttle.

Over in the garage Gavin and Kyoko had the old body kit off the Z and were now replacing the shocks and springs with stiffer components, as well as any other close to gone parts.

"She's going to have to adjust to the new suspension before her race with the staff Mr. Reynolds," Kyoko said as they continued to work.

"We have every intention of telling her that, as well as possibly setting up a race for her," Gavin said with a small smile, "This thing is going to be insanely different from before, but it will be better."

Out on the course Tatsuo was still nose to tail with Wataru as they moved into the right handed two hundred and seventy degree loop turn. As the two cars flew through the corner the RX-8 stayed pinned to the S2000. When they came out of the loop into the following left handed u-turn the Aztec gold machine slipped to the inside, but somehow the S2000 found some acceleration and beat him out of the corner.

"That's the closest anyone has come to passing one of the staff yet, don't give up Tatsuo," Takumi said with a chuckle as he watched his S2000 and the SE3P fly through the long corners at a record pace for Tatsuo.

"I think he's not being serious about this Sir, just wanted to give him a jump start," Tatsuo replied with a chuckle as he tried once again to pass the S2000 and failed.

"Okay Wataru, time to pick it up, you're letting him get by you too much," Keisuke's voice came through Wataru's radio.

"Fine, let's start this show then," the long black haired man said as he floored the throttle of the S2000.

As the pace climbed Tatsuo was keeping up easily through the long straight before the hairpin. When the two cars entered the hairpin, the S2000 closed the door on the inside line as Tatsuo tried to pass.

"It's only the first lap, and he's tried three times to pass, Tatsuo's lost his mind," Reiko said with a short chuckle.

"Maybe Wataru just isn't as good as the two you and Gavin raced," Nika said trying to comfort herself more than Reiko.

"My cousin is an endurance style racer, the longer the race the better for him," Nobuhiko said from behind the two ladies, "But he's also in a different car than normal so Tatsuo-kun might just stand a chance."

As the two cars flew through the v-turn and made their way through the straight, they weaved back and forth as Tatsuo continued to attempt and fail to pass. When they cleared the final u-turn of the course Wataru floored the throttle as the engines of both cars screamed to their peaks.

"Fujiwara-sensei, what modifications does your S2000 have?" Tatsuo asked through the radio as he pinned himself to the bumper of the AP1.

"I think you should have done this on the braking course Mr. Sasaki if that's what you're trying to figure out," Takumi said with a slight chuckle as he heard a groan, "But, Wataru is a great blocker so you can still learn something."

As the two crossed the line Tatsuo had yet to make it by the AP1 even though he had a horsepower advantage that was obvious coming out of corners and on the longer straights.

"Geez Wataru, you could at least give Takumi his car back in one piece, you keep up all this weaving and we're going to have to replace half the front end," Keisuke laughed as the two continued on their way.

Over in the garage Gavin was helping put the final touches on the suspension parts they had replaced while Kyoko started on replacing the brake discs and calipers.

"Mr. Reynolds, once you finish that start taking apart the rest of the brakes, I'll come behind you and put in the new parts," Kyoko said as the engines screamed outside.

"Yes ma'am, just glad I'm not watching that race right now, sounds like Tatsuo's getting upset," Gavin said with a chuckle.

"You can tell that from the engine noise?" Kyoko asked not really believing the younger man.

"The rotary screams but then it lets off like it was blocked, but screams again before too long, that's Tatsuo letting off the throttle completely before slamming it to the floor again," Gavin explained, "Only time I have heard that is when he's upset or I am, mine does it because I coast rather than braking for corners, Reiko's engine just drones on like nothing is wrong even though her driving style changes pretty drastically, it's a little eerie actually, and Nika's Z here screams pretty loud when she lets her anger loose in a race."

"Well I guess when you've raced with someone this long you hear things that others might not," Kyoko said with a shrug before continuing on with their work.

As the two remaining laps came to an end Tatsuo couldn't get by the S2000 as they flew through the corners; everything he tried was countered almost as fast as he thought to try it. As the two cars flew through the last corner, Tatsuo tried to feign going to the outside; Wataru saw it coming and stayed on his line resulting in a small gap between the two cars as they cleared the corner. Tatsuo managed two more attempts before the finish line but never got closer than the rear bumper of the AP1.

"Nika's car is ready and waiting in the garage Mr. Sasaki, this information courtesy of Mr. Reynolds," Takumi said with a chuckle as the two cars went through a cool down lap, "He also says the keys are on the driver's seat."

Tatsuo acknowledged the message and continued his lap until he reached the garage area, where he maneuvered the SE3P into the garage. The black haired young man quickly switched cars and drove into pit lane in Nika's Z33.

The new kit was made to fit with the fender flares from the old body kit. The new front bumper had a narrow gap close to the ground with two fang like pieces near the outside edges of the opening; there were also two smaller holes in the top of the bumper near the hood, between the head lights. The two fins on either side of the car were curved upwards starting near the grill opening and ending close to the top of the wheel wells. The new back bumper had a grill between the two exhaust pipes, with two scoops behind the tires. The spoiler was a body fit style with one cross piece between two uprights, all paint matched to the car's factory pearl blue paint.

"Tatsuo, it looks ten times better on the car," Nika said jumping into his chest and hugging him tightly.

"You can take it for a few laps after your track time is finished, right now you need to get into one of the trainers," Takumi said snapping everyone back into school mode as the students scattered, "Mr. Reynolds, you go clean up, Ms. Sasaki will be making first runs today."

Once everything had calmed down Tatsuo and Gavin were standing trackside watching their girlfriends and teammates go around the track.

"So you got everything done?" Tatsuo asked as the two cars passed by for the third time.

"Almost, we got the suspension, brakes and kit done, we only did a tune up on the engine though: plugs, wires and an oil change," Gavin responded, "She's going to need time to get used to the stiffer suspension but everything else should be pretty easy to get used to."

Tatsuo simply nodded and watched the training session continue. After classes, the lap times Nika was putting on the board in her redone Z33 were astonishingly low for her not being used to the way the new suspension parts reacted and while it was a little stiff, she was quickly finding that it seemed faster than it ever had before and was loving every minute of it. As her classmates watched the pearl blue machine start yet another lap, Gavin looked at his watch and started walking towards the parking area.

"Where are you off to?" Reiko asked after he'd taken a couple steps.

"I've got a student coming, I'm already running a little late as it is," the buzz cut blonde replied with a smile.

"Okay, give me a call when they've left and I'll come over if we're still here with Nika," The black haired girl said with a matching smile.

With that Gavin turned his back to his classmates and headed towards his FD. Just before Gavin got into the toreador red machine his phone notified him of a new text.

'Mt. Akina, Two Weeks, 10 PM' was all the message said, Gavin replied with a simple 'agreed' before leaving the school for the day.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

As the sun began to rise over Mt. Akagi on a beautiful Wednesday morning, the four cars belonging to Project GT team were sitting in the upper parking area, their drivers just watching the sunrise as two couples instead of as a racing team. A quiet beep alerted Tatsuo to a new text message.

"Gavin, it's Mikio challenging you, this Saturday at Akina," the black haired young man said after looking at the phone, "You're taking him up on it right?"

"Of course, I'd like to see if he stands a chance this time," the buzz cut blonde replied with a chuckle.

Before anyone else could say anything on the subject, three different colored Nissan Skylines came into the upper parking lot, turned around and started heading back down the mountain without stopping.

"What kind of name is 3R3?" Gavin asked, seemingly the only one who noticed the stickers on the cars' quarter panels.

"Well they were all driving GT-Rs, looked like a 34, a 33 and a 32," Nika said with half a smile, "I always wanted one of those but I never could afford it."

"We can worry about them later, we've got to be at the school in an hour," Reiko said taking notice of the time.

The four drivers quickly climbed in their cars and flew down the mountain, passing the three GT-Rs along the way, none of which caused any trouble or made any attempt to keep up. When they arrived at the school, Gavin informed Keisuke that Mikio might be returning to the program after the race on Saturday. Keisuke agreed to allow him back as long as the portly blonde behaved himself.

As Saturday night rolled around Gavin was waiting at Mt. Akina's base as the crowds began to come in to see him race against the leader of the Emperors team. Makato Fujimoto of the Night Wolves was playing the part of official starting man, while the remainder of his team and the newly named Akina Street Kings were spread out along the course to report every detail of the race. When Mikio arrived it was nearly ten so they skipped most of the formalities and lined up at the starting point.

"FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE…GO!" the leader of the Myogi Night Wolves shouted just before the Mazda RX-7 and the Lan-Evo VI flew past him.

The FD quickly made its way to the lead spot as the two cars approached the first left handed hairpin, the Lan-Evo quickly closing what little gap there was.

'_Geez he's fast on the uphill, this might have been a worse idea than the first time we raced,' _Mikio thought as he forced his Lan-Evo to go faster as they cleared the next corner.

As the two cars made their way up the mountain Tatsuo and Shou Enomoto, leader of the Street Kings, were at the summit with the rest of Project GT.

"So if Gavin smoked this guy in Akagi before, why is he racing him again on his home course?" Shou asked as they listened to the race.

"It was part of an agreement we made with Mikio; he would call on us when he deemed himself ready to face us, and when he had raced all four of us he would return to the school and continue his official training," Tatsuo replied with a small smile.

"So this is his last race against you four?" the older man asked as reports of the gap beginning to open between the FD and the Lan-Evo started coming through.

"Yup, and he hasn't won a single race against us yet," Reiko answered with a small amount of pride in her tone as the reports on the race continued.

"So, if he hasn't won against you, wouldn't that mean he's not coming back?" the older man asked as he leaned against the guardrail.

"Him winning was never part of the agreement, so all he has to do is put up a good fight," Nika answered with a chuckle, "And he's done that three times already and it sounds like he's putting up a better one than last time already."

Gavin's FD had half a car on Mikio's Lan-Evo as they approached the five hairpins. Mikio watched and mimicked everything his ex-classmate did as best he could; this allowed him to clear the first three of the hairpins without losing anymore ground. As they entered the last two Gavin did the one thing he knew Mikio wouldn't be brave enough to do.

"The FD just used the gutter on the fourth hairpin, this race just got harder for the Lan-Evo," someone reported from the corner.

As they flew through the final hairpin Gavin once again hooked the tires into the gutter and opened the gap just a little more as the two cars flew towards the next set of corners.

"I'm actually impressed with this new Mikio, now let's see how you keep up when I really lay it down," Gavin said with a chuckle before pressing his accelerator a little closer to the floor.

As the two cars moved through the next corners the FD had managed to open the gap to a full car length but the driver of the Lan-Evo simply refused to back down as he punched the throttle to the floor.

'_I knew I shouldn't have challenged him like this, he's toying with me up there,'_ Mikio thought as he chased the FD's tail lights through the faster section of the course, _'I won't give up, not yet!'_

"Well, he's kept up this far, he might actually finish within sight of me this time," Gavin chuckled forgetting about his radio yet again.

"Gavin, just finish the race already," Reiko's voice rang in his ear with a seriousness rarely heard from her.

Gavin simply smiled and began opening the gap even further as the two cars flew into the next set of hairpins.

"The Lan-Evo is falling behind again, either something is wrong or the FD is just that powerful, I don't want to say which," a young man reported as Mikio's car flew past him almost two seconds after the FD.

Coming into the last corner Gavin allowed the gap to close slightly so that Mikio would be able to see him cross the finish line. The moment the Lan-Evo's head lights came into view after the final corner Gavin floored the throttle causing the twin turbo 20B under his hood to scream as he flew across the line just a couple seconds ahead of Mikio.

Once the cars were off the course an impromptu downhill race started between two of the newest members of the Street Kings, forcing Gavin and Mikio to find each other after the start of the race.

"You did very well Taniguchi, I started really laying down the hammer after the five hairpins but you managed to keep up," Gavin said with an honest smile, "But you should brave up a little, that Lan-Evo of yours can handle the gutter run."

"Yeah, I know the car can handle it, but my nerves can't, that's one technique reserved for those who call this mountain home and the totally insane," Mikio said with a chuckle, "I'll be at the school Monday, I do hope that Takahashi-sensei and Fujiwara-sensei will allow me back."

"They will, they've been warned," the buzz cut blonde laughed at Mikio's shocked face.

The two spent a couple minutes talking before Gavin spotted Shou Enomoto among the crowd and quickly dismissed himself to talk to the other man.

"Enomoto-san, I'd like a word with you in private if at all possible," Gavin said before he walked up the road away from the largest portion of the crowd.

"Reynolds-san, what can I do for you this evening?" Shou asked with a slight chuckle as the two men found a quiet spot.

"I've got a favor to ask of you," the buzz cut blonde said in a serious tone that wiped the smile from Shou's face, "I need you to keep the Street Kings off Akina next Saturday."

"Why? What happens next Saturday?"

"I've got a private matter to settle that night, you and Takako are the only two I'm allowing to know because I need you two to mediate the race," Gavin said turning his back to the older man.

"Alright, you're allowing us to use the mountain as our home, so I'll keep the team off the mountain for you," Shou replied not fully understanding what he was agreeing to.

"Keep as much of it as you can to yourself if you don't mind, I don't want any bystanders or any other teams around during this race."

Shou simply nodded once the blonde turned to face him again before the two went back to the crowd to listen to at least the finish of the downhill race.

The next morning Gavin and Tatsuo met with Mikio at Akina Lake to have a chat about his coming back to classes as well as to have a little fun at his expense about losing four times to his ex-classmates. As lunch time came around Nika and Reiko joined them and the five of them had lunch together.

"You know you've got some serious catching up to do when you come back Mikio; we're running thirty laps a piece these days and doing regulation pit stops while we're at it," Tatsuo said as they gathered around the lunch table.

"I know there will be a lot of work for me to do, but I'm a little more willing to take advice after Gavin decked me at Akagi last year," the stocky blonde said with a chuckle, "Plus I've lost a lot of weight, which is a major accomplishment in my case and I've won a few races in that time, I guess my teammates are chasing me for real now rather than just following me."

"That's another thing, we're your only teammates now, the Emperors can go on without you, but if you're coming back to school, you're running with us at the gatherings," Gavin said with a serious tone.

"I can't just cut them out like that, they've improved almost as much as I have," Mikio said with a tone that matched his shocked expression, "Besides I live nearer to them than I do to you guys, why can't I just stay with the team I lead?"

"It's not a matter of who you live closer to anymore, it's how our team got started, plus you need the practice and we practice everywhere," Nika said using the same tone Gavin had.

"True, plus with me in the team you guys could go to Irohazaka to practice too," Mikio said while rubbing his chin, "Alright, I'll call Satoshi-kun, my second in command, and tell him that he now leads the Emperors and that I've joined up with your team."

They spent a few more minutes talking before going their separate ways for what remained of the day, Gavin and Reiko spent their afternoon together while Tatsuo went home for a cello lesson, Nika went to work and Mikio went home to Irohazaka.

As the sun rose on Monday morning the four drivers of Project GT watched as Mikio Taniguchi made his official return to Ryosuke's school. The Lan-Evo parked near the course's gate since he'd been warned about a few tests that had been lined up.

"Welcome back Mr. Taniguchi, since I'm told that Mr. Reynolds told you we'd be testing you, I'll explain the tests," Keisuke said staring the younger man in the eye, "First up you'll take the Cosmo out for ten laps, you'll be doing a regulation pit stop, meaning you'll help Ms. Mahara get strapped in once you're out, after that you'll take the AW11 out for ten laps once Ms. Sasaki is out of the seat."

"Sir, will Gavin and I have any seat time today under this setup?" Tatsuo asked before the spiky bleach blonde could finish.

"You should since he'll only swap cars when the car he's supposed to get into is available, if neither is open he'll wait till the next change out," Takumi answered calmly noticing Keisuke's perturbed look after being interrupted, "Once we call an end to training however he still must complete at least twenty laps in each of the trainer cars and his own car after that."

Everyone's eyes got big at the idea of even attempting so many laps at one time. Reiko showed Mikio how to fasten the harnesses in the Cosmo while Nika explained everything that was different from when he'd left, from the radio in his helmet all the way to the narrowed field of vision.

"Alright Mikio, the AW11 is the faster of the trainers, so we're giving you a two lap head start so you'll be in before Ms. Sasaki is," Keisuke's voice said through the radio.

"Okay, I guess that means I'm going then," Mikio muttered as he drove the Cosmo onto the course while Reiko got herself ready in the AW11.

As the day wore on Mikio's lap times got better; he managed to beat the lap time Takumi set in the Cosmo over a year before while driving both the AW11 and the Cosmo from his second lap on. When Keisuke finally called training to an end it was nearly lunch time and Mikio and the other students had completed nearly a hundred laps a piece. Reiko, Nika and Tatsuo all went to change back into their street clothes while Gavin helped Mikio get ready. A half hour after training had been called to a stop for the day Mikio was fastened into the Cosmo for his twenty lap stint.

"Taniguchi, you pull this off and I might start using your first name," Gavin said as he pulled the straps on the harness a little tighter.

"You'd like me a little more if I did huh?" Mikio said with a muffled chuckle.

"Maybe not like you more, but definitely respect you more," the buzz cut blonde replied with total honesty.

After the stocky blonde started his laps Gavin went and changed back into his everyday clothes and watched what was left of the laps as the times got shorter and shorter. After finishing his forty laps in the two trainer cars Mikio moved his own phoenix red Lan-Evo VI onto the course and awaited the go. Just before Takumi could drop his hand Nika's Z33 moved into the second place stall just behind and to the left of Mikio's car.

"Ms. Mahara, just what are you doing?" Takumi asked as the brown haired girl rolled her window down.

"I just wanted to give him a target Fujiwara-sensei," Nika replied calmly, "He's tired and could use a little extra motivation and you saw his times start to drop off in the AW11, this way he has someone to come after."

Takumi could only nod to the logic before looking to Keisuke who also nodded. Takumi moved back to his place in front of both cars before giving them the go. The pearl blue Z33 took an early lead from the start line before falling back slightly to give Mikio some motive to chase her.

As the two cars moved into the tenth lap of twenty Mikio's lap times had matched the lap time Takumi set in his S2000 during the first day and the stocky blonde was still practically glued to Nika's Z33. Coming around the last corner of the course Mikio actually managed to get ahead of Nika for a moment before he fell behind yet again. Gavin and Tatsuo had been taking note of places Mikio could improve throughout the time, but seeing how easily Nika pulled away from him made it obvious to them that he was being toyed with in the best possible way.

When the two cars came off the course Tatsuo went to Nika's Z33 with Reiko while Gavin went to Mikio's Lan-Evo to make sure he was still alive after running sixty laps with very little down time between. After Mikio had recovered slightly the students stood at the pit lane guardrail waiting for the final say in whether or not the bleach blonde man would be allowed back into the class.

"Mr. Taniguchi, you've done quite well today considering how long you've been away," Takumi said with a blank expression, "That said you've got a lot to work on, you'll be spending time in both trainers since you'll be running as a tester for this team once it goes into the Super GT season."

If he hadn't been so tired Mikio probably would have leapt to the stars above after hearing what Takumi said. Tatsuo convinced Mikio to show up at Myogi that night for a little tutoring session with the rest of his classmates and possibly the Night Wolves team leader.

"So Your Majesty, you've gained a new car for your team," Makato said as Gavin and Nika stepped out of their cars.

"Yeah, we got the Emperors team leader with us now, so now we have access to every mountain in Gunma and the Iroha slopes in Tochigi," Nika replied with a snide tone, "And what have I told you countless times about calling me 'Your Majesty'?!"

"And I've told you why I call you by that title Your Highness," the black haired man said with a chuckle.

Gavin managed to grab Nika before she got the chance to beat the leader of the Night Wolves into the pavement. Mikio just stood there dumbfounded while Reiko chewed out Makato for causing trouble while Tatsuo and Gavin tried to calm Nika's temper.

After about an hour's worth of runs up and down Myogi's pass with Mikio riding along with everyone else for at least one run, the six drivers were once again in the summit lot with their cars parked in a circle.

"You need to work on your braking a little, from behind it looks like you're not keeping steady enough pressure on the pedal," Gavin said while he leaned back onto the hood of his FD, "If you can work that out you'll slow down faster and be able to keep your lines a little better."

"Yeah and your braking point can be later saving you a few tenths here and there," Makato added while Mikio just stood taking in all the advice he'd received over the entire hour.

"We'll be going to Akagi for the next practice so be there around nine tomorrow if you can," Tatsuo said as he got ready to leave.

"You guys practice every night?" Makato asked in a shocked tone, "No wonder you guys are so fast."

Before anyone could even think to reply to the compliment the black haired man jumped in his S15 and drove off, with everyone else following shortly after.

A couple days later the students had gotten into the routine of having Mikio swapping between the two trainers and they were back to their thirty lap practice runs. After training had been ended for the day Nika walked over to Takumi and tapped him on the shoulder not wanting to immediately interrupt his conversation with Keisuke.

"What is it Ms. Mahara?" the brown haired man asked as he turned to face her.

"I want to race against you and your S2000 on the braking course Fujiwara-sensei," Nika replied in a calm tone that hid her nervousness very well.

"Alright, tomorrow before training," Takumi replied with the slightest of smiles before the brown haired young woman walked away.

"You've been waiting to race haven't you?" Keisuke asked with a chuckle as he saw the fire burning in his ex-teammate's eyes.

Takumi simply nodded before walking towards his S2000 to get a little track time in before he left for the day. Nika was so excited about finally challenging her chosen staff member to a race that she broke her downhill record in Akina during their practice session that night. Mikio rode with everyone at least once just as he had in Myogi and Akagi the previous nights and again they pointed out a few places where he could improve his times. Gavin even rode shotgun with him to point a few of those things out on the course.

The next morning Nika lined her Z33 up at the start line of the school's private track after receiving a short briefing that covered the rules of this three lap race against Takumi Fujiwara.

"Alright Ms. Mahara, I've got your radio today so just say check to make sure everything's working," Kyoko said receiving a quick reply from the younger woman.

"Hey, I'll be waiting for you in pit lane," Tatsuo said just before Nika rolled the window of the Z33 back up and he took his place between the two cars.

"FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE…GO!" the black haired man shouted just before the two cars flew past him, the Z33 taking the second place position after leaving half the tires' rubber at the start line.

As they entered the long right handed u-turn that opened the braking course the Nissan had made up the ground lost after its poor start and was now chewing on the Honda's rear bumper. As the ninety degree right hander came up the grand prix white S2000 slid out, clearing the corner with its nose just brushing the apex before switching the slide to face the other direction and drifting through the left handed two hundred and seventy degree loop turn just ahead of the Z33.

Nika's concentration was broken momentarily as she watched the S2000 which made her miss the ideal line for the following ninety degree right hander. The pearl blue machine nearly drove off the track before Nika got her mind back where it should be and managed to just clear the corner, losing a lot of time as she forced the car to straighten back out. As the two cars cleared the next easier corners Nika breathed a little while getting her mind truly back in the race.

"She's doing better than I thought she would," Takumi said while clearing the next two hairpins.

"I think you may have broken her concentration with that drift through the loop, but you aren't wrong," Keisuke's voice replied through the radio.

Mikio watched on in amazement at just how smooth Nika's driving had become over the last year and just how incredible Takumi's driving still was.

"Impressed yet Mikio?" Gavin asked seeing his classmate's face.

"Impressed would be an understatement at the moment Gavin-san," Mikio said with a nervous chuckle, "I'm impressed that near half a year ago I could actually keep up with her, I'm astounded that she can keep such a close pace with Fujiwara-sensei."

Gavin chuckled as the older man continued to stare in awe of Nika's Z33 as the two cars cleared the fourth hairpin and flew into one of the longer straights in the braking course.

The Z33 flew down the outside passing the S2000 before Takumi could react to the change in pace. The pearl blue machine was now going too fast to clear the next corners forcing Nika to slam on the brakes, allowing Takumi to take back the lead spot before the next two hairpins.

"First time that's happened in a long while," Takumi said with a chuckle just after clearing the hairpins.

"First time for one of them taking the lead, so don't let it happen again," Keisuke's voice said with the same chuckle.

As they cleared the following corners leading into the long straight the two cars were pinned together. Through the straight Nika didn't try to pass, allowing herself a little time to breathe after nearly driving out of the course yet again.

"That wasn't pleasant to watch," Mikio said when the two cars reached the second straight.

"Think how Tatsuo feels, that's his girlfriend out there," Reiko said with a nod towards her twin brother whose eyes were glued to the Z33 as it flew through the first open section of the course.

On the course the two cars were once again pinned together and Nika was looking for a mid corner opening to try and pass. None came as they cleared the multiple ninety degree corners. When they reached the second easier section of the course Takumi blocked every attack Nika thought to launch.

"When did he get so good at defending?" Kyoko asked her husband with her hand over the microphone for the radio.

"Probably during those years when he took the GT300 championship three times in the last seven," Keisuke replied with his hand also over the radio microphone.

As the two cars moved through the second lap of the race Nika seemed to relax a little and just watched her opponent clear the course only steps ahead of her. As they entered the third Takumi was in Nika's sights and she was determined to get by the grand prix white S2000. Even under such intense pressure Takumi never moved from his intended line and Nika was forced to watch as he crossed the line just half a car ahead of her.

"You did well Ms. Mahara, better than I expected," Takumi said with a genuine smile on his face.

"Thank you Fujiwara-sensei, I've learned a great deal from you today," Nika replied with a low bow before standing back up and leaving with the rest of her classmates to get ready for the training session.

With the laps piling up and the day eventually coming to a close, the students of Ryosuke's school went out to dinner together before heading to Mt. Usui to practice with the Usui Sparks. It was around midnight when the faint smell of burning rubber accompanied the sounds of tires screaming against pavement and engines revving through the RPMs that filled the cool night air. Gavin was laid out on his FD's hood in the summit turnaround while he waited for the crowd to thin out a little when his phone alerted him to an incoming text message.

'Only a few days left now, are you ready?' was all the message said, 'Are you?' was Gavin's short response before he turned the phone off and threw it in the glove box of his FD.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

During one of the rare days Ryosuke had given the staff the day off from actually doing anything dealing with the school and the students had a day off from their classes, Wataru and Nobuhiko were on the school's private track racing each other. Nobuhiko was in his silver Altezza and Wataru was using the school's AW11. When they came into their second lap Wataru watched his cousin with an eye to pass him at any moment. Nobuhiko was just doing his best to block the long haired man behind him as they cleared each corner.

'_Well he's gotten better to say the least, but if I'm going to be honest he still doesn't stand a chance in this race,'_ Wataru thought to himself as he pushed the AW11 a little closer to the Altezza's bumper.

As they entered the third lap, Wataru began making his attacks a little more often managing to level with the Altezza several times throughout the lap before Nobuhiko caught on and managed to block the lines or just plain outgun the other car.

"Very good Nobuhiko, but now it's your turn to watch," Wataru said with a chuckle as the two cars flew out of the last corner of the third lap.

In what was a rather insane move, Wataru moved the AW11 next to his cousin's Altezza forcing them into the course's first corner side by side. Nobuhiko was forced to change his trajectory to avoid a collision and fell behind the smaller car in the process, before he picked up his pace and stuck the Altezza to the back bumper of the AW11.

"You won't get away from me that easily," Nobuhiko muttered feeling a little sickened by the fact he'd been passed so easily.

As they flew through the next lap the AW11 managed to open up just enough of a gap to make passing a nearly impossible thing to do safely. Over the next three laps the gap only widened through the tighter corners only to close yet again as they flew through the faster sections.

"Relying too much on your power Nobuhiko," Wataru half shouted with a laugh as he opened the gap through the remaining two laps of the race.

After the two cars had completed a cool down lap Wataru unstrapped from the AW11 while Nobuhiko parked his car on the other side of the access gate.

"Well Nobuhiko, you're getting much better at blocking, now we need to get you to go faster so I might actually have to use my own car to keep up," Wataru said with a chuckle as his cousin met him next to the AW11's driver's door.

"I don't think I'd stand any chance against your Levin Wataru, not on a power based course like the fun layout," the black haired man replied while adjusting his glasses a little, "Especially since you're improving as well."

While the two men were at the school talking about where Nobuhiko could get faster, Ryosuke met with Fumihiro to discuss some of the things the team needed to get before the proposed race at Motegi.

"I understand that the sponsors will be providing us one spare car for each of the series, but we'll also need a place for the drivers, mechanics and other staff members to sleep before the season starts," Fumihiro said as the two men sat in the clinic's cafeteria.

"The meeting I had this morning led to the agreement that Mr. Crandon's company will be providing the motor home, as well as the haulers for all four cars," Ryosuke replied calmly.

"Alright then, now that we have all of our staff covered as far as press officers, pit crew managers, team managers, drivers and strategists and a relief driver that I'm honestly thankful for, I think we're ready," Fumihiro said with a smile.

"And why are you thankful for Mr. Taniguchi?"

"His coming back in time saved us from having to find a tester or worse yet, doing without one. He's doing well to catch up to his teammates these days and he seems much more willing to listen to suggestions as well. Plus if someone gets injured in training he can still take over before the season starts," Fumihiro replied with a small smile.

"Of course I hope no one gets injured, that's more work for you," He added quickly seeing the slightly confused look on Ryosuke's face.

"And I'll have my work cut out during the season since I intend to be there every step of the way as the team's physician," Ryosuke replied chuckling quietly at his long time friend's shocked expression.

The two men were completely oblivious to the four nurses at the next table whispering about them, trying to figure out which nurse would go after each of the men.

Meanwhile, Takumi and Natsuki were at Akina's lake enjoying the time together as they walked around doing some of the touristy things that never interested Takumi before, including riding the cable car to the true summit of Akina and puttering around the lake in a rented boat. Takumi found a small hidden place to beach the boat and they spent some time doing a little more than kissing and hugging out on the beach. After they returned the boat the couple walked through some of the shops and Takumi watched his wife of five years now picking out different souvenirs and a new bathing suit.

"You know, our anniversary is coming up soon, maybe we could just celebrate tonight instead since I'll probably be at Motegi when it does come around," Takumi said as they walked along the small beach.

"We'll both be at Motegi; I simply refuse to miss seeing my husband back in the professional racing scene for the first time as a team manager," Natsuki said with a chuckle, "I still can't believe my luck when I ran into you after you won your first GT300 race of the season."

"Well there is something to that 'Fujiwara luck' everyone keeps talking about," the brown haired man said with a laugh as Natsuki wrapped her hands around his arm and held herself closer to him as they walked.

"I think you're confused, I wasn't a Fujiwara then," the woman replied with the same chuckle, "I was still just Natsuki Mogi."

"You should try racing, just to see if there is anything to the Mogi half of your luck then," Takumi said in such a serious tone that it took his wife a few moments to respond.

"Uh, no, I'd rather ride with you than try driving at the same suicidal speeds you and Keisuke do on normal roads," the brown haired woman replied shaking her long hair from its place, "I'm not even going to mention what you two do on that track at the school."

"Does it really scare you that much when I drive at the school?"

"Not after the first couple laps, but only because that's when I regain my ability to cheer you on."

As day fell into night the couple moved their day off to a semi formal restaurant in the heart of Maebashi. Takumi was wearing a button down shirt with black slacks for the evening while Natsuki chose to be a little more elegant by wearing a floor length black dress with some beadwork around the off the shoulder straps.

When they stepped off the elevator and into the restaurant Natsuki took full notice of the city skyline that could be seen through the full wall of glass windows that surrounded the dining area, as well as the two chandeliers that lit the place's maroon carpets and patterned gold and silver table cloths. As the hostess showed them to their table they both noticed the lit candles on each table.

"Have you heard anything from Itsuki and the other guys lately?" Natsuki asked shortly after they ordered their dinner.

"Not recently, but last I heard Iketani was taking challenges in Akina for kicks every now and then and he runs the repairs shop side of the station. Itsuki is now in charge of a couple of the new guys that work there and my old boss is pretty much not showing up anymore since those two practically run the place," Takumi replied with a small laugh at the image of Itsuki ordering a pair of high school students around, "Kenji I haven't heard from since I went to the station before the school opened to the first class, though Iketani and Itsuki think he found himself a girlfriend."

"Doesn't it worry you that he's not coming around anymore? I mean you guys have known each other forever."

"He's old enough to take care of himself and as long as I don't see his name in the obituaries I know he's okay," the brown haired man said with a shrug, "I also look for Iketani and Mako's names in the wedding section, just to see if he's braved up enough to ask her out again or if someone's stolen her from him."

Natsuki laughed at the thought of a rather nervous Koichiro Iketani asking his long time crush to marry him before she tried to continue the conversation.

"You know, this reminds me of the place you took me after we found each other again," she said looking around the restaurant again, "It had to be some kind of destiny or something."

"So the fact I almost hit you with my car coming out of the circuit was destiny?" Takumi said with an incredulous look, "I'm just surprised you were even there, you never showed any real interest in racing before."

"A friend invited me and then I saw your name on the big screen with your picture," the brown haired woman said with a small blush on her cheeks, "I just can't believe my friend's reaction when you were coming at us in that S2000 of yours."

"It's understandable that she would scream at a car coming toward her."

"Yeah, but the louder more excited scream that came after you got out of the car is what I was talking about, I thought my ears were bleeding," Natsuki added with a small chuckle.

"Yeah, that was pretty bad, but that's not half as bad as some of the fans that were carrying the all zones passes during the whole of the weekend."

After dinner they went to the small dock where Natsuki and Takumi went their separate ways nearly eight years before and watched the stars for a while before heading home.

Over in Tokyo, Keisuke and Kyoko were just sitting down to their own dinner at a small family style restaurant after spending the day watching some of the newest movies out as well as doing some shopping.

"Did you have fun during our day off?" Keisuke asked thinking of all the bags in the back of his FD.

"Yes, but it was more fun since I just got to spend time with you without having to worry about cars or paperwork," Kyoko answered with a smile, "Especially since you brought me to Tokyo to go shopping."

"Makes me happy I asked Aniki for the day off then, I'm sure Takumi and Natsuki are enjoying their time together," the spiky haired man replied, "Even though we all work at the school we don't really see each other all day, with you in the garage and Fumihiro and Natsuki sitting behind desks talking with parts suppliers and all."

"That's true and Takumi's track side or on it with Mikio the last couple days, I'm betting he's completely beat by the time they get home," the dirty blonde haired woman nodded.

"How do you think Wataru is taking this day off?"

"Probably at the school racing Nobuhiko, he mentioned wanting to try training a driver and since Nobuhiko's the slowest of us I'd assume that Wataru would try and train him."

"Well Nobuhiko's good with the books side, but driving has never been his strong point, Takumi let him chase him for a while on Aniki's instructions," Keisuke said before taking a sip of his drink, "But if Wataru can teach him something, all the better for the students."

"Hey, whatever happened to that Nakamura kid you always had on your heels during Project D?"

"No idea really, shortly after D I got picked up by the GT500 team and Kenta kinda vanished. I spotted him a few times at a couple of my races in the paddock, but he never came over or tried talking with me."

"How do you know it was him?"

"Something about the way he held himself, and the fact that he seemed nervous while standing there staring at me from outside the team's box," Keisuke said shifting in his seat a little, "I am kind of curious to know what he's up to these days."

After shrugging off the subject before it went further, they enjoyed their shared shrimp platter while talking about how each student had improved and how quickly Mikio was getting into the swing of being in the school again. They also talked about possibly helping Wataru in his training of Nobuhiko to see just how fast the glasses wearing man could get before he would take on being the strategist for the GT300 half of the team.

After their meal Keisuke drove them back to Maebashi in a comfortable silence. When they got home they unloaded Kyoko's shopping bags and left again to go to one of the clubs Keisuke went to way back before his brother saved him from a life of mischief. Kyoko was surprised when they were allowed to pass the long line of people waiting behind the rope and go straight in.

The music was loud and the bass notes made the air and one's own chest pulse in time to the music. Kyoko also couldn't help but notice that some of the women in the place had jealousy written clearly on their faces as she walked arm in arm to the dance floor with Keisuke. Keisuke couldn't help but smirk at some of the jealous faces he'd noticed on the men's faces as they walked by as well. They spent a while dancing together in the huge crowd of people before heading to the one place Keisuke knew better than anyone, his own brother included these days.

When they arrived at Akagi's summit Keisuke spun his competition yellow FD on a dime before blasting his way back down the mountain, surprised that he could still draw gasps of surprise from his wife as she held herself to the seat next to him. When they reached the bottom they swapped places and Keisuke re-learned the reason why she was probably one of the smoothest FD drivers in Saitama when she was racing and why at the time she'd been one of his toughest opponents.

When they reached the summit yet again Kyoko stepped out of the car to get a drink from the nearby machines and was quickly joined by her husband.

"You know, this kind of reminds me of the night you came up here looking to watch me practice," Keisuke said as they stood watching the night sky.

"You were such an ass to me that night," Kyoko replied with a slight laugh, "I find it hard to believe that the same man just two years later was in Saitama looking for me to go out with him."

"Well I needed a girl on my arm, you were the best choice," the spiky blonde said with a half sarcastic tone that earned him a playful slap on the arm, "No, I figured a few things out during what was left of Project D and the year after, kept finding myself thinking of the girl with a black FD from Saitama every time I wasn't in the car."

"So you came and found me, but what would you have done if I had gotten over you?" the dirty blonde woman said with genuine curiosity.

"I have no idea, probably tried to talk my way back into your life, or done what I really wanted to when I saw you again and kissed you full on the mouth without warning and gotten slapped," Keisuke admitted with a serious tone earning himself yet another playful slap on the arm.

"Well, while I am glad you showed up at my home course looking for me, I don't think some of the guys there who saw me as a sister would have appreciated watching me getting forcibly kissed."

Keisuke could only nod to the logic, thinking in the back of his mind how many of them he probably could have fought off before they had him pinned to the ground or worse. The couple made a few more runs up and down Akagi just to have fun before heading in for the night at around midnight.

Back over at Akina's summit, Gavin's FD sat in the parking lot as the buzz cut blonde stood out on the dock, watching the night sky twinkling with all the stars in the heavens. He looked at his phone after receiving a new text message.

'Saw your race last week against the Lan-Evo, your teammates too, do they know about our race?'

'No, they don't need to,' was the buzz cut blonde's short reply to the message.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

As their Saturday training session came to an end the students of Ryosuke's school were waiting by the pit lane wall to be dismissed formally for the day. Nika and Gavin went over the major differences between his FD and the GT300 spec FD that she would soon be driving in their training sessions, Tatsuo was close by taking in the information as well while Reiko talked to Mikio about what he could do to get his lap times closer to their own.

"Alright, before we dismiss you for the day we'd like you to know that starting on Monday you'll be driving the Super GT spec cars during these training sessions," Keisuke said with a small chuckle as the students celebrated a bit, "We'll go over all the procedures about getting in and out, safety equipment, as well as starting them for each of you before turning you loose in them though."

"So be well rested, no racing this weekend if you can avoid it," Takumi said drawing a disappointed groan from Reiko and Nika, Gavin just stiffening up a little, "Now get out of here before we decide to put you back in the cars."

"Hey Reiko, since we've got the afternoon; why not you and me go see a movie or something?" Gavin asked as they got to their cars.

"Sure, it's been a while since we had a proper date," Reiko said moving to get in her boyfriend's FD.

"Take your car Reiko, no need to leave it here since we'll end up two different places," Gavin said before climbing into the FD.

Reiko followed closely in her harvest gold SE3P while they carried on a conversation about Mikio in the Super GT cars using the radios Tatsuo gave them shortly after they started radio training at the school. When they arrived at the theater Gavin bought two tickets to one of the romance movies he knew Reiko wanted to see before walking in and buying all manner of snacks and joining the rest of the people who had come to see the movie.

After the movie the couple stopped for a quiet dinner at a small diner halfway between both their houses. Gavin was checking his watch when Reiko returned to the table after a trip to the restroom. She noticed that his smile seemed a little forced when she sat back down.

"Gavin is something wrong?" the black haired young lady asked placing a hand on the one he had on the table.

"Nope, just got something to take care of later," Gavin replied squeezing her hand gently.

She didn't quite believe him, but she decided to leave it be and changed the subject back to Mikio's lap times, and until around quarter to nine Gavin was his usual carefree and respectful self.

"Reiko, much as I hate to call this a night, it's about time I got started on that thing I need to handle," Gavin said in a regretful tone.

"Maybe I can go with you, give you a hand with it," Reiko offered as her boyfriend paid the bill.

"Nah, it's not that big a job, just cleaning up a few things," the buzz cut blonde said with a smile, "Besides, neither of us would be rested for Monday if you came over."

That comment made Reiko blush nearly every shade of red in the color wheel before she nodded and got into her SE3P, remembering only then that she was supposed to ask Gavin about having dinner with her family the next day. Before she could even think to get out of her car again the FD drove out of the parking lot so she turned on her radio, only hearing static as the response to her calling him. She thought about trying his phone but she remembered she'd not seen him turn it back on after the movie and it was probably still off. She headed home giving Gavin enough time to be at his own apartment before calling the apartment's phone that the blonde kept on for any of his students that wanted to contact him. When the answering machine clicked on she left a message and hoped he'd see it when he got back.

Meanwhile Gavin was driving up to the radio tower after having greeted Takako Shinagawa of the Akina Street Kings at the base. As he drove up he was taking in the details of the course again to make sure nothing would surprise him. The road sides were completely devoid of human life just the way Gavin had wanted it. He felt a little guilty about not telling Reiko he had a race, but it was the fact he didn't want her around in case it went poorly and he didn't walk away from it that kept him from telling her. The buzz cut blonde was also regretting having not told her he loved her before they went their separate ways.

When he arrived at the old radio tower he saw two cars, one a bright red Honda S2000, the other Shou Enomoto's silver GT-R R32. Seeing the blonde haired young woman who stood by the Honda made his mind fill with memories that were very painful.

"_I will not let my baby girl move as far away as Shibukawa with some street racing punk," a tall dark haired man shouted at the young blonde girl standing in front of him._

"_Dad, I love him and he loves me, Gavin never would have asked me to go with him if he didn't," the blonde girl shouted back. "You have to let me grow up! PLEASE!"_

"_You are NOT going and that's final young lady," the man shouted, "Besides you're not old enough to know what love is."_

_The young lady ran out the front door in tears, eventually slowing down to try and calm down before she got herself lost. When she looked around she knew where she was and started walking to the storage space where her boyfriend kept his car and hers. When she arrived she saw a pair of feet sticking out from under her bright red Subaru Impreza as it sat next to a toreador red FD._

"_Dad's not letting me move in with you," she said still sounding very angry._

"_Well, you are his little girl, I didn't expect him to take it as lightly as you have," a voice replied from under the car._

"_He said it was final and since I'm still a week away from being 17 I can't go with you till next year," the girl replied kicking the pair of feet, "Would you get out from under there when you talk to me?"_

_The buzz cut blonde pulled himself out from under the Impreza and stood to face his girlfriend._

"_I'm going to finish the once over on these things, then we can go to the course head, but I don't want you racing tonight no matter what," Gavin said as he hugged the younger girl._

"_Alright, no racing for either of us," the girl said in a tone muffled by Gavin's chest._

_Gavin took a few extra minutes to inspect the two cars in the space while the girl explained everything that had happened with her father and the fact that her mother thought it was a good idea for the girl to go. After twenty more minutes the two cars headed to the starting line of the course where they usually raced along the public roads. They stayed at the course head for a while watching the starts of a few races before someone saw the Impreza and openly challenged its driver to a race. The blonde haired young woman immediately agreed; getting into the car before Gavin could even react._

"_What happened to not racing tonight?" Gavin said as the Impreza pulled up to the start line._

"_I just want to blow off some steam honey, I'll be fine, I promise," the girl said kissing him gently._

"_If you're racing; I'm chasing, just to be sure," the buzz cut blonde said pointing to his FD._

_Gavin did as he said and stayed behind the racers as the Impreza chased its opponent through a few hard corners. When they flew through the next hard right hand corner Gavin would never forget what he saw as the left rear tire on the Impreza exploded sending the car out of control. The car went out of the road onto a soft shoulder sideways; the tires dug into the dirt and caused the car to roll side over side twice before it came to rest on its passenger side. Gavin's mind went blank as he jumped from his FD and clambered onto the Impreza and forcing the door open, the driver of the other car broke the windshield out as Gavin got the unconscious blonde out of the driver's seat._

"_Megumi wake up darling," Gavin said after laying the girl on the pavement, "Please wake up."_

_He was near to tears and barely able to acknowledge the fact the other driver had called an ambulance. When it arrived they told him where they would take her and he followed the ambulance all the way to the entrance of the hospital before going to park the FD. _

_It wasn't until several hours later that the young blonde girl woke up with IV tubes and a few monitors attached to her skin. When she figured out where she was she noticed Gavin asleep, butt in the chair next to the bed and head on the bed itself with one hand holding her IV free hand. She shook the hand to wake him up and stared at him for a few minutes, noticing his reaction was one of happiness to see her awake until she pulled her hand away from his reach._

"_Meg, you've got a broken leg and a concussion, you'll make a full recovery and then we'll go to Shibukawa together," Gavin said sounding very hopeful, "Your parents will be here soon."_

"_I'm not going and you're leaving this room in the next ten minutes," the girl replied coldly._

"_I…Wha…" Gavin stammered not fully understanding anything._

"_When my parents get here, you apologize to them for causing so much trouble and you leave, I don't want to see you again," Megumi said looking away from him to hide her sadness, "It's your fault I'm in here right now, this whole fight with them was about you."_

_Gavin left the room after her parents arrived, spending the entire time trying to convince her to change her mind. When he reached the FD he didn't even get the key in the ignition before he broke down and cried. He went back to his house and left for Shibukawa the next morning, nearly a week ahead of plan._

A tap on his window brought him out of his thoughts. The buzz cut blonde looked out the window to see Shou standing there looking rather worried. Gavin simply nodded and stepped out of the car, walking over to the only other person there.

"Gavin, been a while," the blonde woman said with half a smile.

"Megumi, thought you never wanted to see me again," the buzz cut blonde replied with a cold tone.

"I hear your Mom told you about my recovery and rehab," Megumi said sounding a little sadder than before.

"She kept me in the loop," Gavin said with the same cold tone, "Why now Meg? Why after almost four years did you show up here?"

"You agreed to race me one day, that's all I'm here for," Megumi said turning as cold as he was, "I'm just here to finish what you started."

As nine forty five rolled around Gavin had yet to call Reiko back and still wasn't answering his cell so she told Tatsuo she was going to her boyfriend's apartment before leaving him standing there like an idiot. She tried several more times to get a hold of her boyfriend but all attempts failed. When she got to the buzz cut blonde's apartment she noticed his toreador red FD wasn't in the parking area. She opened the door using Gavin's spare key, and waited a few minutes before seeing a pair of dog tags lying on the counter that separated the kitchen and the main living space. After taking a closer look at them she immediately started going through the phone logs looking for Gavin's family's number.

"Hello son, what has you calling so late?" A sweet feminine voice came through the phone, as the clock read five till ten.

"I'm sorry Reynolds-san, but this isn't Gavin, it's Reiko Sasaki, we met at Christmas," Reiko replied as politely as her panic would allow.

"Reiko-chan, so nice to hear from you, how are things?" Gavin's mother asked politely.

"Fine as long as Gavin was planning on going out there, I found his grandfather's ID tags on the counter here and I can't reach Gavin," Reiko said letting her worry show through, "And his actual ID tags aren't hanging near the door like normal either."

"He wasn't planning on coming out here, but I'll let you know if he does show up, but he never comes out here without his grandfather's dog tags so he's probably just out driving dear," Helen said calmly now noticing that Reiko wasn't joking about not being able to find her son, "Why don't you call that brother of yours and see if he can't track him down?"

"I will and I'm sorry if I woke you Reynolds-san," Reiko replied politely before saying her good byes and hanging up.

Reiko immediately dialed Nika's number and asked her classmate to call the Myogi Night Wolves to have them looking for Gavin. Nika finally agreed after getting a full explanation from her classmate. When she got off the phone Reiko called her brother and asked him for Shou Enomoto's cell number and asked him to call Mikio and the Usui Sparks to start looking for Gavin. Tatsuo, knowing better than to argue with his twin sister, gave her the number she asked for and agreed to call the other teams in Gunma.

"Enomoto-san, this is Reiko Sasaki of Project GT," Reiko said as soon as the man answered his phone at the stroke of ten.

"What can I do for you Sasaki-san?" Shou asked through the phone.

"I was wondering if you had seen Gavin tonight," Reiko said, finally getting tired of masking her emotions and letting her worry show in her voice, "He's not answering his cell and he's not home."

"I haven't seen him tonight, but if he comes to Akina I'll let you know first," Shou said while staring right at Gavin. He listened for a few minutes and then hung up, "She's on her way out here and this race should have already started according to my watch."

"Tell Takako not to let her come up once we're gone," Gavin said before moving his FD next to the S2000 on the start line.

With the two cars lined up Shou stood in between them cars honestly not knowing what was about to happen on his new home course.

"FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE…GO!" the Street Kings Leader shouted before the two cars flew past him so fast he had trouble staying on his feet.

He quickly dialed his phone to call Takako at the base to tell her everything that happened at the summit and that ten to one odds said that the rest of Project GT would be showing up before the end of the race.

On the course Gavin was staying behind the S2000 with ease as they both cleared the first hairpins of the downhill at what he used to think of as suicidal speeds. As he watched the S2000 his mind began making notes of places its driver could improve as well as a list of places along the course he could use those weak spots against it.

As they approached the next set of hairpins Gavin shot past the S2000 on the straight before clearing the first hairpin by the paint of the FD's rear bumper. As the two cars cleared the second hairpin in the set Gavin noticed how close the S2000 was to him so he downshifted back into fifth and floored the throttle for a short burst allowing the gap to open to a safer distance. As they entered the faster section of the course Gavin felt the sixth gear of the FD's transmission grabbing at the power band and forcing the car forward as he struggled to maintain control through the corners.

At the base Reiko had just pulled up and was stepping out to greet Takako before making her way to the summit.

"Hey Reiko-chan, you can't go up right now, there's a race in progress," the black haired young lady said as Reiko headed back to her car.

"Two of your new teammates?" Reiko asked genuinely curious.

"Nope, but since you're here why don't you call your teammates and we'll make a practice night of it?" Takako offered refusing to go any further about who was racing.

On the mountain Gavin was just clearing the fifth hairpin of the downhill and the S2000 was about a half a car back and chasing him fiercely through the fastest part of the pass. Megumi was going faster than she ever had trying to keep up with her ex-boyfriend but she wouldn't dare give up as the gap continued to open.

"You've been practicing Megumi, you're doing very well," Gavin said to himself as he watched the S2000 for a moment in his rearview mirror.

As the two cars flew through the next hairpin Gavin had opened a gap a car and a half wide between his FD and the S2000. As the two cars flew through the next corners Megumi managed to close the gap to a car length before the five hairpins. When they reached the hairpins Megumi could only watch as the FD hooked its tires into the gutter in each one and opened the gap too far for her to close.

"Damn he got brave since he came out here," Megumi muttered as she floored the S2000's throttle.

Megumi managed to close the gap back to a car and a half before they reached the corner where Takumi overtook Ryosuke nearly eight years before, even though she could do absolutely nothing but watch the FD clear the corner in a perfect no counter drift along the outermost lane before flying on down the road to the finish line.

When Gavin arrived at the finish line he saw all of his teammates' cars sitting in the lot as he slowed to turn into the parking lot's second entrance. The S2000 pulled into the first one not even crossing the official finish line and both cars parked near the others. As Gavin stepped out of his FD Reiko ran over to him and jumped into his chest nearly knocking him off his feet.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming here to race? Why didn't you answer your phone when I called?" Reiko asked faster than the buzz cut blonde could answer before feeling his arms around her back silenced any other questions.

"I kept it from you so you wouldn't know if something bad happened, I can't stand thinking of what you would do if I got hurt," Gavin said quietly as he placed his chin on her shoulder.

Megumi stood there with a bewildered stare as the two people before her shared a hug.

"Gavin, why don't you introduce us to your lady friend here?" Tatsuo asked as the sound of an engine coming off the mountain came to their ears.

"Megumi, this is my team: Nika Mahara, 350Z driver and uphill specialist; Tatsuo Sasaki, SE3P driver and dual specialist; Mikio Taniguchi, Lan-Evo VI driver and downhill specialist," the buzz cut blonde said pointing to each of them and each one bowed politely, "The beautiful lady in my arms is Reiko Sasaki, Tatsuo's twin sister, SE3P driver, dual specialist and my girlfriend."

"I should have known you'd find someone else after all this time," Megumi said shaking her head a little.

"You said you never wanted to see me again, I didn't get over it easily Meg," the buzz cut blonde replied still holding Reiko to his chest.

"You're still the only one who's ever called me that," Megumi said with a sad tone as she lowered her gaze to the ground.

"So if she never wanted to see you again, why are you out here racing her?" Nika asked with a confused tone directing the question at Gavin.

"An old agreement from when we were dating, Gavin agreed to race me when I thought I was ready, he'd already been driving for near a year legally, I don't know how long he'd been doing so illegally," Megumi answered with a nervous chuckle, "I guess I wasn't as ready as I should have been, I figured when he moved out here his skill might lessen some, I was wrong and he's only gotten faster."

"Well we're training to race in the Super GT series, he's the fastest racer of all five of us and you did manage to pick his home course to race in," Mikio said showing a little bit of his old tactless side.

"Wait, all five of you? Is that how you became a team?" Megumi asked in a shocked tone.

"Taniguchi over there led the Emperors out at Irohazaka for a while, but he's joined up with us now since we practice on every mountain in Gunma and he really needed the practice," Gavin said in a teasing tone just to jab at Mikio a little, "At first Reiko and Tatsuo were the fastest in Akagi, Nika in Myogi, and I'm the fastest active racer in Akina, but once we started training together and none of us had a team, we started our own and now none of us have a true home course."

"And I am not the proven fastest, Reiko's times and mine are nearly identical in the AW11," the buzz cut blonde added directing the comment to Mikio.

"But they're all the fastest bunch of nuts still actively racing in the prefecture," Shou interrupted with a laugh, "See, Gavin is the second leader of my team, they practice with us now and then, but if he asks real polite, like he did for this event, we clear out."

"And I've got a team on Myogi that works the same way for me, though I get to order them to clear out," Nika said with a chuckle, "Tatsuo and Mikio have the same relationship with the teams on their home mountains."

"Anyone control Usui that way?" Megumi asked trying not to chuckle.

"All of us control Usui in that way, we're apparently faster than that team without trying too hard, but they're a fun bunch so we like having them around," Gavin said as Reiko finally pulled herself away from him.

After an hour of talking Megumi agreed to check out the training school where the team started and still trained and everyone but Reiko, Megumi and Gavin left the lower parking area.

"So what have you done to the FD since you came out here?" Megumi asked running a hand gently over the carbon fiber hood of the toreador red machine, "You can't possibly be insane enough to run the 20B and the six speed you used to in the mountains."

"Matter a fact I am that crazy, been using the higher gears to keep it off the power band in the harder corners," Gavin replied with a nervous chuckle, "Makes her a bit of a bitch to handle sometimes though."

Megumi simply shook her head before climbing into her car and leaving Reiko alone with Gavin. As the blonde's S2000 left, Reiko turned and punched Gavin square in the gut causing him to double over out of shock more than pain.

"Okay, deserved that," Gavin said as he straightened up and held his stomach.

"You deserve worse. You had me scared to death because of your grandfather's dog tags lying on the counter!" Reiko shouted, "The least you could have said was 'I'll be in Akina if you can't reach me'."

"Sorry about that, I just didn't know if Megumi would play fair. Shou was only a few corners back the whole time, but I didn't want you to see me hurt if she didn't," the buzz cut blonde said with a serious tone.

"But it was a race against an ex-girlfriend, I should have been here from the start so I could cheer you on," the black haired girl said quietly as she played with her curled hair.

"Had Shou for that honey, plus if you didn't notice his team wasn't here, the Night Wolves weren't, the Sparks either," Gavin said before pointing at the pass itself, "Have you seen anyone come off that mountain since Shou got here? No one knew about this race but me, Megumi, Shou and Takako."

Reiko pouted a little making her look even cuter to Gavin and despite the seriousness of her feelings he couldn't help but chuckle a little. Reiko looked at him as he continued to smile at her, finally realizing just how silly she was being about the whole thing.

"Reiko, if I had told you about this race you would have asked more questions than I cared to answer to before it happened, if you want to ask something other than why I didn't tell you, now is the time," Gavin said regaining a little of the seriousness the situation called for.

"Did you love her?" Reiko whispered just loud enough to be heard while she stared intently at the ground between her feet.

"At one time, a very long four years ago," Gavin said with all honesty in his tone, "But seeing her tonight, felt like I was seeing her for the first time ever, when we hated each other."

Reiko nodded and stepped closer to him, wrapping him in a much gentler hug as she let her tears fall at long last. Gavin simply wrapped his arms around her again and let her hold onto him.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

It had been a very long week since the drivers of Ryosuke's Project GT started driving the Super GT spec cars. Gavin and Reiko had quickly adjusted to the differences between the AW11 and the NSX, Tatsuo had no problems switching to the FD and Mikio was still adjusting to both cars but making good progress. Nika on the other hand was struggling to adjust to the FD's massive differences from her own Z33 and the school's 67 Cosmo as well.

Mikio stood trackside with Gavin and Tatsuo as the two ladies made their final laps of the day. They could all notice that Nika was making unnecessary corrections in the corners as well as braking too much or just too early for some corners, and these mistakes were costing her a lot of time.

As the two cars came into pit lane for the last time that day Nika stepped out of the FD with a tired and rather annoyed look in her eyes, just visible through the helmet she still wore. Everyone noticed that look change to a determined glare once she had removed the helmet and started moving towards Gavin.

"Gavin, would you take me for a ride on the track in your FD?" the brown haired young woman asked with a desperate tone that didn't match the determination on her face, "I know how you feel about letting other people drive your car so I'm only asking to ride, but I seriously need help here."

Gavin said nothing as he reached into the bag leaned against his left leg, pulled the keys to his toreador red FD and held them out for Nika to take.

"Gavin do you feel okay?" Reiko asked before she placed a hand on her boyfriend's head.

"I'm fine, and before any of you ask I'm not dying either," Gavin chuckled as he removed the black haired girl's hand from his forehead, "Why do you people look so shocked?"

"Because last time she asked you for your keys you nearly bit her head off," Tatsuo said with a face that matched his sister's concern, "Made it perfectly clear that no one but you would ever drive it."

"Well since it is my car, I reserve the right to change my mind about it, don't I?" Gavin asked with a small smirk still on his lips.

"Okay, so why did you change your mind?" Nika asked without taking the keys from the blonde.

"I figure the faster you get used to that FD the better the chances this team has to bring home a championship trophy for Ryosuke-san, not to mention that mine can be set in anyway necessary to match the Super GT car," the buzz cut blonde said with a serious tone, "Besides, you're in a closed course with safety crews all around, not that I think you'll crash her."

Nika very slowly took the keys from her teammate and went to the parking lot to retrieve his most prized possession on automatic pilot. As she drove up to the gate Gavin stepped up to the car, Nika rolled the window down thinking he wanted to give her some pointers. She just barely made out his voice telling the car to behave itself for her.

"Okay Nika, my baby here is kind of tricky to get used to so start slow and get a feel for her before you try anything too fancy," the blonde said through the open window not noticing the odd look Nika was giving him.

"Gavin, why did you just tell the car to behave?" the brown haired young woman asked with a confused tone.

"Didn't someone already tell you that a car isn't just a dead piece of metal to me?" Gavin replied with a chuckle before walking back to pit wall.

Nika moved the toreador red FD to the start line before putting her helmet back on and readjusting the harness straps to fit her smaller frame. Once she felt she was ready the brown haired girl nodded to Takumi who then gave the go just before she took off a little faster than Gavin would have liked. As she cleared the first corner Reiko was already holding Gavin back from jumping into the Super GT spec FD and chasing their brown haired classmate down with it.

"Mr. Reynolds if you'd like to take my FD and show Ms. Mahara what it is she's been doing wrong, I'm sure it will be of great help for her," Kyoko said holding out her own keys after watching the young man twitch as his FD completed the first half of the course.

Gavin thanked her several times before running to the other side of the parking area where the black single turbo FD was spending its day.

"Kyoko, do you really know what you're doing?" Nobuhiko asked with poorly masked concern as the black FD made its way to the gate.

"I honestly don't, but I think she needs to someone to show her what she's doing wrong and Gavin has experience with RX-7s, and Keisuke would never give up his keys to a student," Kyoko replied with a concerned smile on her lips, "I'm sure it will all be fine."

The black FD now driven by Gavin was pulling a flying lap to catch up with the toreador red machine so he could watch Nika's driving for a couple laps. It was only then that he realized he had no form of radio communication in this car nor was he wearing his helmet as track rules required.

"I am in deep shit when I get off the course," the buzz cut blonde thought aloud as he caught a glimpse of the other FD.

When Gavin finally slipped in behind his car he noticed that Nika was trying to use the braking points for her Z33 instead of the lighter FD, which was causing her to brake way earlier than necessary at each corner. He also began noting all the places where her line could have been better. Before he was given the chance to signal her Nika pulled to the outer most line and slowed down allowing the black FD to pass with no problem before she slipped in behind and began watching from a safe distance.

'_Okay, guess they thought I was ready then,'_ Gavin thought with a chuckle as he pushed the throttle a little closer to the floor.

After the black FD had led the red one around the course for a few laps Gavin noticed that Nika seemed to be getting much more comfortable with his car and that by following his braking points and lines her lap times had significantly improved. After two more laps at a slower pace Gavin started to pick up the pace and led Nika into a proper flying lap. She made no attempt to pass him choosing to stick to the rear bumper of the black FD.

"I have a question for you Mr. Reynolds," Keisuke said with a cold stare and a tone to match, once both cars were off the track, "Just what in the devil were you thinking breaking three track rules by going out on that course mid run, going without a radio and worse yet going without any safety equipment?"

"I'm sorry Sir, your wife offered an opportunity to show Nika what she was doing wrong and I jumped before thinking about it," Gavin said with a low bow.

"Since we can't lower your practice time any more we'll let this slide since it was for a good reason, but don't dare let it happen again," the spiky bleach blonde responded still sounding peeved.

"Of course not Sir," the buzz cut blonde said as he stood back up.

A few minutes later Gavin and Nika were standing next to his FD while it sat quietly on the school's pit lane.

"Is it just me or does your FD get easier to drive when you get it up to speed?" Nika asked seriously as she stared at the car.

"Probably just you, once you cleaned up your braking points and lines it just felt easier to go faster and stay faster than you had been going," Gavin replied with a small chuckle, "I'm guessing mine felt a little faster than the Super GT even at first."

"Yeah, but you have four hundred horse power or more in yours, the Super GT car only has three hundred," the brown haired girl responded not noticing the contemplative look on Gavin's face.

"The braking points on this course won't be much different from the ones you used in my FD but you'll have to accelerate a little sooner to keep from losing too much speed," the buzz cut blonde said coming out of his thoughtful state.

As the week continued Kyoko allowed Nika to use her FD to chase Gavin around the track. Nika's times were showing a great deal of improvement each time the two practiced together. On Wednesday Tatsuo was waiting for Nika to come off the track for him to take his laps in the GT300 FD when his phone started ringing.

"Tatsuo Sasaki, you've got thirty seconds," the black haired man said still watching the FD.

"Sasaki-san, this is the leader of the Akagi Blue Fire team, we were wondering if you could make a few calls and help us set up a gathering this Saturday at Mt. Akagi," the voice on the other end of the line asked.

"Sure, I'll start making the calls when my training session is over, now I've got to run," Tatsuo said hanging up the phone and rushing to the FD.

As they finished up their laps for the day Tatsuo made sure that Nika, Gavin and Mikio called the teams on their home course mountains to set up the gathering. As Saturday night rolled around Project GT arrived at Akagi's summit parking area to meet with Akagi's only remaining resident team well before the other teams would arrive.

"Gavin Reynolds, Nika Mahara, Mikio Taniguchi, this is the leader of the Akagi Blue Fire team," Tatsuo said gesturing to the man with black hair down to his shoulder blades.

"Nice to meet you three, I'm glad your teammate talked you into coming out here," the man said with a smile, "My team isn't as well known as Tatsuo-san and Reiko-san."

"Well we're happy to help out, since you asked nice and all," Gavin said with a chuckle.

"We've invited all the major teams from the local mountains, as well as the Emperors from Irohazaka; you'll have quite the crowd tonight," Nika said in a kind tone.

As ten o'clock rolled around music filled the night air and the Blue Fire team spent the night talking to all the teams, spending more time with the Night Wolves than anyone else. Shou Enomoto was talking with Gavin and the other members of Project GT while his teammates talked with the Emperors.

Around ten thirty the sounds of engines filled the air as three Nissan Skyline GT-Rs pulled into the parking area: a red R32 leading a green R33 and a blue R34, all three cars had 3R3 stickers on the rear quarter panels. The R32 sped up in the parking area causing a few people to jump out of its way as it sped by before it turned sideways, stopping just short of running over Gavin and Shou who just stayed where they were.

The driver stepped out of the car looking around with a hard glare in his eyes. When the dark red haired man locked eyes with Gavin; the blonde just ignored the glare and stared right back with an uncaring look upon his face.

"I lead the 3R3 team, where are the Rotary Twins?" the driver of the R32 asked.

"The Rotary Twins team doesn't exist anymore, they joined up with another team," Gavin said stopping Tatsuo from saying anything.

"I hear they still control this mountain and that they would be here tonight," the red haired man said with an ice cold tone, "We want the mountain and the Blue Twerps over here won't give it to us."

"Well why don't you challenge the team they joined up with then?" Shou asked bringing some attention to himself.

"Where are they? Are they here tonight?" the 3R3 leader asked still trying to intimidate anyone around.

"You stopped your GT-R at the feet of their primary downhill driver," Shou said with a nod in Gavin's direction and a small chuckle at the man's face.

"This pip squeak? He probably doesn't know what a car is," the very muscular driver of the R33 said with half a cackle as he pointed at Gavin.

"I'm sure you'll recognize the Blood Runner of that little town close to the American military base," Gavin replied with a smirk as he pointed to his toreador red FD, "That's my car and me and my teammates are ready for a challenge any time you want to make it."

"Next week, here at Akagi and make sure the rotary twins race us," the leader of the 3R3 said as he stepped back to his car.

"We'll run who we want to run, now get out of here before I lose my temper; and stop crashing parties," Nika said loud enough to be heard, though it seemed the red haired man ignored her.

The party pretty much ended in a bad mood thanks to the poorly timed and most unwelcome presence of the GT-R team. The leader of the Blue Fire team explained that the 3R3 team had beaten them a week before and that they may have been assholes off the road, but they raced clean and fair.

As the following week progressed Mikio was getting himself ready for what he hoped would be his first race as a member of the Project GT mountain racing team. He'd already talked over the idea of taking the downhill race instead of Tatsuo with his black haired teammate, but there was nothing conclusive to say he would be racing. The night they practiced in Akagi the team spent an extra hour on the mountain to take in every possible aspect of the course as well as to help the Blue Fire team get just a little faster.

"You guys won't give them control of the mountain will you?" the leader of the Blue Fire team asked once everyone was back in the summit parking area.

"We have no intention of giving them anything, if they earn it, then we'll talk it over, but the way that red haired fella stopped that R32 Saturday was flashy, nothing more," Gavin said leaning against his FD.

The Blue Fire leader could only nod to the logic before he drove to the start line and rocketed off down the pass for his last practice run.

"Tatsuo, I hope don't mind, but I really want to take this downhill," Mikio spoke up earning stares from the remainder of the team, "I haven't raced with you guys yet, I want to prove in the mountains I belong with you."

"Alright, I think I can sit it out this time, not like the 3R3 will know the difference," Tatsuo said thinking about the fact the 3R3 leader was staring right at the former Rotary Twins team members and didn't know it.

"And what about that guy with all the muscles calling me a pip squeak?" Gavin asked with a chuckle.

"I'll avenge your name dear," Reiko said with a chuckle as well as she walked over and hugged the buzz cut blonde around the chest, "In your FD too if you'll let me."

"I'll think about it," Gavin said with a cocky smirk.

Tatsuo, Nika and Mikio nearly fainted from shock when they heard him say that, while Reiko simply rolled her eyes thinking he wasn't serious.

"Look, who else would I trust my car to if not my girlfriend? Plus this is your home, what better place to trust you with it?" the buzz cut blonde said seriously gaining a nod from Tatsuo.

"I don't think I'd trust myself with it Gavin, I know I've been in the passenger seat a lot, but knowing your attachment to it, I couldn't go full out," Reiko said stepping away from him, "I would be too worried about the car's condition to race with it."

"Well, at least you're honest about it," the buzz cut blonde replied with a shrug, "Let's get out of here, we've got class in a few hours and I'm sleep deprived enough as it is."

The five cars filed out of the summit parking lot before heading their separate ways. During class Reiko and Gavin were truly on the ball in the NSX setting track records with at least one lap each time they were in the car. Tatsuo and Nika were setting track records of their own, and Mikio was matching or besting every one of the records set when he was in the cars.

"Something has them fired up today," Keisuke said with a smirk as the NSX came in for a pit stop.

"It's a good thing too, now we can see what they really have in them," Takumi said with a similar smirk.

"You boys stay out of it, they're doing well enough to pull each other," Kyoko said admonishingly after noticing the fire in both men's eyes that said they wanted to get on the track, "You've set enough goals for them to beat, now it's time for them to set the goals."

Keisuke and Takumi just nodded before exchanging a glance with each other, silently agreeing to take the GT cars for a spin before the practice race Ryosuke was working to set up in Motegi.

As Saturday night rolled around Project GT was waiting for the three cars belonging to the 3R3 team at the foot of Mt. Akagi's pass. Waiting with them were the leaders of each of the major teams in Gunma, Shou Enomoto of the Akina Street Kings, Makato Fujimoto of the Myogi Night Wolves, as well as the leaders of the Usui Sparks and Akagi Blue Fire teams. The members of these teams were spread out along the pass to watch the race.

"They're late," Gavin stated at ten minutes past eleven o'clock.

"Maybe they ran off scared, I did a little research on you Reynolds-san, during your days as the Blood Runner you never left a race with less than a five second gap over your opponent," Shou said with a tone of admiration as he leaned against his silver R32.

"That's because my opponents were idiots most of the time, big mouths with nothing to back up the words," the buzz cut blonde replied with a chuckle.

"They're coming!" someone shouted as the drone of three engines filled the air.

The three GT-Rs pulled into the parking area, the red R32 leading the way yet again. As the R32 and the R33 pulled into a pair of open parking spaces the R34 went over to the uphill starting line before its driver stepped out.

"Sorry we're late, got caught pulling an extra shift at work," the leader said sounding much less snide than the week before.

"It happens, since you obviously want to start with the uphill why don't we go ahead and send the downhill drivers to the summit?" Shou asked taking up the role of race director for the evening.

"Fine with me, but my R32 will be covering that run so we'll have to settle everything before I go," the red haired man said with a tone that for some reason no one liked.

"Reiko Sasaki, formally of the Rotary Twins will take the uphill in her RX-8, Mikio Taniguchi, former leader of the Emperors team will be doing the downhill in his Lan-Evo VI," Shou replied as if he'd rehearsed his whole part in the conversation.

"I asked for both of the Rotary Twins to race, what happened to that agreement?" the red haired man asked gaining back every bit of the attitude he'd had the week before.

"We never agreed to that, it's not our fault you assumed it would go your way," Gavin said with a smirk as the 3R3 leader flinched.

With a growl in his tone he agreed to the terms and left following Mikio, who under strict orders from Gavin not to give them a show, stayed at road legal speeds all the way to the summit. Reiko moved her harvest gold SE3P to the starting line as soon as the word came from the summit that the road was clear.

"Reiko, keep your radio on, something is off about this whole thing tonight," Tatsuo said through the window before leaving Gavin and Reiko at the line.

Gavin wished his girlfriend luck and gave her a short kiss before joining what remained of their team on the sidelines as Shou stepped between the two cars. The two cars flew off the start line, Reiko somehow managing to take the lead position off the line. At the halfway mark Gavin had a sick suspicion that Mikio would have a much harder time with the R32 than previously thought.

Judging by the reports that the R34 was still on the bumper of the SE3P, Reiko was blocking attacks at nearly every corner of the course and couldn't open the gap. Going by Reiko's own swearing into her radio it was exactly as the reports were telling it.

"Gavin, I need some advice here," Reiko said in a strained tone as she blocked yet another attack going into the second set of multiple s-turns.

"I want you to stop looking at your rear view mirror and start chasing me up what's left of the mountain," Gavin said just loud enough to be heard as to not break his girlfriend's concentration.

Reiko did exactly what Gavin told her, she cleared her mind and put the image of Gavin's toreador red FD in front of her car and started chasing it. The change in driving style was obvious to the R34's driver as he pressed the accelerator closer to the floor in an attempt to keep up. As they continued along the course it was obvious to the R34's driver that something had happened in his opponent's mind. The SE3P he was chasing was being much more aggressive as it seemed to cut new lines he never knew could be followed through the corners. He was driving with everything the Nissan could give just to keep up, but he could see it but he could see it would fail since not even running full blast through the faster sections could keep him from falling behind.

Reiko managed to open a one second gap before the finish line that made her victory all the sweeter. After the race she advised Mikio of the technique and went to celebrate with a couple members of the Usui Sparks that were nearby. A few minutes later Mikio and his Lan-Evo were on the starting line waiting for the R32 to line up next to him.

When the two cars finally lined up Takako Shinagawa of the Street Kings stepped between the two cars as their engines roared through the RPMs.

"FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE…GO!" the black haired young woman shouted before the two cars screamed past her.

The Lan-Evo VI fell behind from the line and continued to do so until the first corner when the R32 was forced to brake; the gap closed but not enough for Mikio to pass.

"What do you think happened?" Takako asked as she joined Reiko on the sidelines.

"Not sure, think maybe he just got a little nervous," Reiko replied putting her radio's earpiece back in to listen to anything Mikio said.

On the pass Mikio was struggling to keep up as he mentally berated himself for such a poor start. As soon as he cleared the third hairpin of the downhill, Mikio's mind went blank as the image of Nika's Pearl Blue Z33 appeared between him and the R32 he was chasing.

'_Okay Nika, show me the way,' _the blonde thought as he pushed the throttle and started chasing the Z33.

People at the summit, the base and all along the course were amazed at how fast the Lan-Evo closed the gap in the first long stretch of road between the hairpins.

"He's chasing someone, I'm just trying to figure out whom," Gavin responded when Shou asked what was happening.

"The best target he has is Nika, she's the one who's toyed around with him on the circuit," Tatsuo said hazarding a guess.

"Yeah, but this is your home course, he could be chasing you or Reiko," Nika said trying to figure it out.

"He'd never keep up with Reiko here, he knows that so he's aiming for one of you two either way," Gavin said with a smirk.

On the course the phoenix red Lan-Evo VI was taking every chance it had to attack the red R32 still ahead of it as they cleared the first set of multiple s-turns. The leader of the 3R3 couldn't figure out how the Lan-Evo was keeping up, much less attacking him from every angle possible.

"Mikio, whatever it is you're doing up there, keep it up," Gavin's voice said through the ear piece in Mikio's ear as the two cars cleared the next hairpins.

"Will do, now shut up," Mikio said with a serious tone, only hearing a quiet chuckle in response that made him smile a little as he continued his trek down the Akagi pass.

The two cars flew through the next corners at record pace, Mikio still unable to get by as they cleared the hairpins before the last set of multiple s-turns. Mikio floored the throttle pushing his Lan-Evo right against the bumper of the leading R32. When they came to the first of the multiple hairpins the R32 seemed to fly into it too fast allowing Mikio to slip into the inside line and block the path as the 3R3 leader tried to correct his mistake. This maneuver allowed the Lan-Evo to slip into the lead and also scare the living hell out of his opponent.

Mikio held the lead to the end setting a personal record for the Akagi downhill and winning his first race as a true member of Project GT. The members of 3R3 congratulated both drivers once they were all at the base, and agreed to at least try and be friendly with the other teams before leaving Akagi for the night.

"Well that was a hell of a run Taniguchi, who were you chasing down the pass tonight?" Gavin asked as the other teams left.

"Mahara-chan, least I think it was her," Mikio said as though he couldn't get his thoughts straight, "I mean, one second I'm kicking myself for my lousy start the next I'm chewing on the R32's bumper."

Try as they might, none of project GT could get a straight answer from Mikio about who he was chasing through the mountain before they went their separate ways for what remained of the night.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

It was a beautiful Monday morning when the students of Ryosuke's school arrived at the circuit just as they had the first day, single file and all at once. The Super GT NSX was sitting in pit lane with the FD nowhere in immediate sight. Gavin parked his FD close to the track's access gate as the others parked in their usual places.

"I take you're ready for your little race then," Keisuke chuckled as Gavin stepped over to them.

"Been waiting for it, can't wait to see that car from my own," the buzz cut blonde said with a chuckle.

"Still think she's better than you huh?" the spiky bleach blonde asked seriously.

"I know she is, I don't know that she can see it though, she's been chasing me too long," Gavin replied as the others made their way towards the three men.

"Looks like they're letting us race each other sweetheart," he added as Reiko got within earshot.

Reiko recovered from the shock quickly before running to the locker rooms with Gavin close behind. The two came out in the fireproof suits they always wore. Gavin was helping Reiko get her HANS device clipped in place as they walked back to the track while she carried his helmet.

"Alright the rules are the usual school rules, no bumps and all that, this race however will run five laps instead of three, just because we have time today," Keisuke said causing a slight chuckle among the students, "Now Mr. Reynolds would you like a head start at all?"

"No Sir, standing start will be fine," Gavin replied before putting his helmet on and climbing into his FD.

"Little excited aren't you?" Kyoko asked as Reiko bounced over to the NSX.

"I'm racing him in a Super GT car, he's at a disadvantage off the line and in the long run, yet I can't wait to see who will win," the curly black haired young lady said excitedly as she climbed into the car.

"You think he stands a chance then?" the brown haired woman asked as she strapped Reiko into the seat.

Reiko simply nodded before Kyoko clipped her HANS device to the seat and closed the door on the NSX, while Gavin waited patiently on the start line with his FD.

"Alright Reiko, they're letting me and Tatsuo cover the radios today, just to see how we do," Nika's voice came over the radio a chuckle.

"I guess my brother is taking care of Gavin then," Reiko replied with a matching chuckle.

"That's right, now get on the course already, Gavin's waiting," Nika's voice came again.

The NSX's engine started up and Reiko cruised around the throttle layout of the school's private track before lining up next to the toreador red FD. Mikio stepped between the two cars and just shrugged as he saw both drivers do a double take visibly shaking their helmets.

"FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE…GO!" the heavy set blonde shouted just before the two cars flew by him fast enough to make him lose his balance slightly.

Reiko quickly built up a short gap through the front stretch only to be caught at the first corner when Gavin flew through the open ninety degree corner without braking.

"Okay FD, time to use everything we've got," Gavin said to his car as he pulled the shifter back into the hidden sixth gear while flying through the long s-type corner.

Keisuke and Takumi were both impressed by how well Gavin was able to keep up with the NSX as the two cars flew into the right handed two hundred and seventy degree loop. The NSX went wide through the u-turn after and the FD slipped by on the inside.

"Come on Reiko, too easy," Gavin muttered as they flew through the next corners.

As they flew into the straight before the hairpin Reiko retook the lead and managed to keep the NSX on its line as she went through the right handed hairpin and through the straight that led into the left handed v-turn. As the two cars finished the first lap Reiko still held the lead but somehow the FD was pinned to its rear spoiler. Everything was quiet on the field through the second lap while the FD stayed pinned to the NSX as if attached to the rear bumper.

"Okay Gavin, you've had your fun, pass her already," Tatsuo said with a serious tone as the two cars started their third lap.

"You think I'm not trying? She's got me pinned back here, she can out accelerate and flat out outrun me in the corners and the straights," Gavin nearly shouted through his radio, "It's all I can do to keep up right now."

"Well then start trying harder, she's your opponent not your girlfriend right now," Tatsuo said earning a loud growl from Gavin as the FD's engine began to scream in an unnatural way.

"You got his attention telling him to pass, did you really have to push the 'she's your opponent' button though?" Nika asked with a hand over her radio microphone.

"Better to push it and deal with the consequences later," Tatsuo said mimicking his own girlfriend, "Right now he's going to pound that 20B into the ground if he has to."

The sound of the rotary engine filled Reiko's ears over the sound of her own as she blocked and dodged each attack as they came. The pair flew through the hairpin still attached at the bumper, but as they came to the midpoint Reiko started slipping to the outside too early. Gavin floored the throttle of his FD and just managed to inch past the NSX along the inside and take the lead into the straight before the v-turn.

As the two cars entered the fourth lap Gavin told Tatsuo to keep his trap shut unless something went wrong with the NSX. Nika continued to update Reiko on Gavin's lap times as well as places where Gavin's FD was starting to slip enough for her to get back by.

"Nika, whose side are you on in this race?" Mikio asked as the two cars entered the last lap of their five lap race, the FD just barely leading the way.

"I'm just doing my job as Reiko's radio operator, I have no side," Nika replied with a hand over her microphone and her eyes still on the track, "I think this whole race was a bad idea, it started as a joke after all."

"What about you Tatsuo?" Mikio asked from his place next to the man.

"Like her I think this was a bad idea, but it was their choice so what can I do to stop them?" the black haired man answered with his hand covering the microphone knowing Gavin would scream if he heard him say anything at all.

On the course, Gavin was having serious second thoughts about being able to win this race as the NSX remained pinned to his FD's rear bumper. He was fighting the FD's rear tires because of how hard he'd pushed trying to get by in the last two laps. Reiko was following the FD with everything she had, but Gavin gave her no openings even in the corners Nika had pointed out that he was supposedly sliding out more. She could see that he was, but somehow he was using it to his advantage and blocking any path to pass.

"Reiko, back off NOW," Nika half shouted through the radio.

Reiko immediately let out of the throttle and watched on as the FD spun around in front of her. She saw the opening and floored the throttle passing him cleanly just before the FD completed a three sixty spin and was now struggling to catch up through the final corners of the course.

"Reiko, you've won this race, well done," Nika's voice said through the radio as the NSX crossed the finish line five seconds before the FD.

"Then why does it feel like I lost?" Reiko asked somberly as she moved the NSX through the cool down lap on auto pilot with Gavin's FD just behind her.

When the two cars were back in pit lane Gavin was out of his FD and had his helmet off before Nika could even get down from the monitoring boxes. He was also wearing the biggest smile anyone had seen on his face since the first time he drove the NSX when the GT cars first arrived. The buzz cut blonde waved Nika off and opened the door of the NSX himself and helped Reiko get everything unhooked.

"Why are you smiling? You just lost," Reiko asked through the helmet she refused to take off.

Gavin could tell by her tone that she was choking on the words and raised the visor to see what kind of tears she was letting out. He drew his hand back slightly when he saw the sadness deep in her eyes before he recovered and put the smile back on his face.

"I'm smiling because that was the most exhilarating race of my whole life," the buzz cut blonde said before gently head butting the helmet Reiko still wore, "And I lost it to the better racer. You earned this so dry those tears and be happy."

Gavin put the visor back down and started unclipping the HANS device that held the helmet in place before undoing the clasp on the helmet. Just before he could remove it Reiko's hand stopped him and she took it off herself, her long curled black hair falling out of the balaclava as she pulled it off. Reiko still looked a little sad so Gavin pulled her closer and kissed her in front of their classmates and teachers. That seemed to cheer her up immensely.

"If you two are done with your little kiss, get changed back into your street clothes, we'll meet you inside," Keisuke said with a chuckle.

About ten minutes later Nobuhiko, Fumihiro, Natsuki, Takumi, Wataru, Keisuke and Kyoko all met with the students in the main conference room of the main building with Ryosuke.

"Find your name on the contracts and we'll get started," Ryosuke said in a cool tone from his spot at the head of the table as each student found their seat.

"First thing we're going to cover is the new rules," Keisuke started staring at all five of the students, "First of which is you won't be allowed to use your own cars on the course anymore. This has nothing to do with the fact Mr. Reynolds here just spun out, but to keep the training time at a maximum."

"The second new rule is that you can no longer race in the mountains until the FIA approves your licenses," Takumi said with a calm tone, "This is mostly to keep you out of trouble with them, the papers won't be sent in till Monday so you've got one last chance to goof off."

"The third rule is something from our sponsors, though it should go without saying, no going after certain teams because they piss you off. You're here to race, not crash people," Kyoko said with a serious tone to make sure the point was well received.

"Fourth rule isn't so much a rule as a new kind of training, from now on we're going to set the cars, you have to tell us how to fix it," Wataru added to the list, "I'm sure two of you at least noticed the fact these cars were set up to be rather difficult to drive."

Gavin and Tatsuo only nodded to this as they both leaned back in their chairs. Nika and Reiko looked a little confused but like Mikio chose not to say anything.

"Next order of business is a practice race Aniki has set up for you in Motegi, you'll run qualifying laps, practice sessions, a full race, pit stops and all, and we have managed to set it up so that the press officers will act as a faux press conference after the race," Keisuke said grabbing the students' attention in a rather drastic manner, "Don't worry, you have a while before any of that happens, but it will be a full race style weekend."

"If you want to back out, now is the time, up until now you've had no ties to the school except an interest in getting faster and getting better," Ryosuke said finally getting back into the conversation, "If you sign these contracts, you'll begin collecting a paycheck from us and you will be tied legally to the Takahashi Racing team until the end of the next Super GT season."

Gavin looked to his teammates, before reaching for the pen next to the contract and signing it, Reiko and Nika quickly following his example while Tatsuo skimmed it over before signing.

"Mr. Taniguchi, is there a problem?" Kyoko asked noticing the blonde's hesitation.

"Just a question really, why am I offered a contract?" Mikio asked with a curious tone, "They've been here for well over a year now, I've only been back a couple months at most, so why me?"

"You're going to be a tester, you'll take the place of any one racer should they be injured or pulled from the race on my orders due to health issues," Ryosuke explained calmly as though he'd expected the question, "In truth you were a saving grace for the team, you know how each of your teammates drive and you came back with enough time to train long enough to at least put up a fight against each of them."

Mikio thought for a few minutes longer before signing the contract in front of him. Ryosuke then handed out the paperwork for the FIA licenses for each driver to fill out.

"Welcome to the Takahashi Racing team," Keisuke said with a lopsided grin, "Now if you like you'll be allowed four laps each in your personal cars before we close the track to them permanently. No need for fire suit and helmets today, call it a welcome to the team gift."

"Gavin-kun, make sure your FD gets a new set of tires first," Kyoko said before he could get out the door, chuckling quietly at the groan he gave before leaving the room.

The drivers of the Takahashi Racing team were waiting for Gavin's FD to have its new tires put on before starting a little race idea they'd had coming out. Reiko's RX-8 was sitting in the pole spot, the second position was left empty for Gavin's FD, Tatsuo took the third position directly behind his sister, Nika and Mikio rounded out the field in fourth and fifth.

"So you'll be doing this race how exactly?" Keisuke asked seeing how each car was placed on the track.

"We were hoping to do it in a GT style, formation and warm up lap then run our three lap race," Tatsuo said with a wide smile on his face.

Keisuke looked to his older brother who simply nodded his response to the silent question the spiky blonde asked.

"Okay then, the rules are as follows, three green lights starts the slow lap, once you're back in place the three reds will come on, when they turn green it's open season, but you will wear helmets if this is the case," Keisuke said with a small smile growing on his face as all of them ran to the locker rooms to get their helmets.

About ten minutes later with Gavin's FD in its proper place, the green lights came on and the five cars made their way around the throttle course at a top speed of fifty five miles per hour while weaving a bit along the straights, before falling back into their proper stalls at the start line. Each student had their radios on and the earpieces were in their ears so they could talk to each other during the race to make sure nothing majorly bad happened since Takumi and Keisuke wouldn't be calling the shots during this race.

The lights came on red before turning to green ten seconds later. The race itself was fun, for the first lap Reiko and Gavin simply drove as fast as their cars would allow them to without making any attempts to pass, Nika and Tatsuo swapped places a few times through the corners while Mikio watched the whole thing from the last position.

During the second lap Gavin and Tatsuo started an almost choreographed dance with Reiko, each one passing the other in some fanciful manner as they went through the course, while Nika and Mikio battled it out.

Through the third and final lap of the race was when everything turned serious. Gavin and Reiko quickly left the other three behind as they battled for first position while Tatsuo, Nika and Mikio were battling for third.

The final order was Gavin and Reiko tied for first, Nika coming behind them with Tatsuo and Mikio tying for last; and none of them could stop laughing as they brought the cars off the track.

"It's good to see that even after a race against each other, they can still laugh together," Natsuki said leaning into her husband as the staff watched on.

"If that was a real race Natsuki, I'm the king of England," Takumi replied with a laugh as the other staff members nodded their agreement.

As the week rolled by the new mechanical training was tougher than anyone expected. Gavin got tossed into the gravel by the NSX fifteen laps into his first run on Tuesday, but he had better luck the following days. Reiko managed to stay on the pavement when she spun out the first day as well, but between her and Gavin they figured out the problem and had it fixed by Thursday. Nika and Tatsuo managed to fight the FD through their laps, but were unable to figure out the problem and get it fixed before Friday. Mikio was just glad he could stay out of the driver's seat for this part.

As Saturday night rolled around Project GT had been invited to a gathering at Myogi that would include the last two races of the mountain racing side of the team. When they arrived at the summit lot the general attitude of the team was not exactly the greatest it had been; this would be their last gathering as street racers before turning into true professional racing drivers. The Blue Fire team from Akagi was there, as well as the Usui Sparks and the Akina Street Kings with the leaders of the Night Wolves of Myogi and the Irohazaka based Emperors.

"What race do you want to run first?" Shou asked since he would be taking part in at least one of the races.

"Downhill, that way after a short time we'll all be back here," Gavin said getting himself ready to face off once again with Matsuda and his S15, "This team has an announcement to be made after the races are done."

"Okay, so does this involve our teams, or can just the leaders be here? A few of my guys are running the graveyard later," Makato of the Night Wolves asked seriously.

"Just the leaders need to be here, now let's get this show on the road so your boys can get out of here," Gavin said with a chuckle before heading to his FD.

"Mikio, you're taking the uphill so get going," Nika said shoving the older man towards his car.

Shou and Mikio flew down the pass and gave the all clear once they arrived. Gavin's race with Matsuda and his silver S15 was a little more eventful than the last since Matsuda was able to put up a better fight, but he still only managed to follow the FD till the end of the race.

After Mikio took off from the line he had only a small amount of trouble staying ahead of Shou's silver R32 once he was there. He could tell that Shou had skills and was using them to stay on the rear bumper of the Lan-Evo VI. Mikio lost the lead about halfway up the mountain, but quickly took it back and finished the race half a car ahead of the R32, making for two victories for the final mountain race of the Project GT team.

Once the leaders of all the local teams, as well as the Emperor's new leader were back at the summit with Project GT they stood waiting for the big announcement.

"These races tonight were the last races of this team's mountain career," Gavin said bluntly earning shocked stares from the leaders of the teams.

"The applications for our FIA racing licenses are going out Monday," Tatsuo added drawing an understanding nod from Makato and Shou.

"Alright, we'll set up a farewell party next Saturday, the least we can do for our greatest rivals is send them off in style," Makato said with a grin on his face.

"We can swing that, but no racing or any kind of showing off with the cars," Nika said being a little overly cautious about things, only to receive shallow shrugs from both Makato and Shou, "Guys, we can't get caught doing anything illegal, just a party," she added with a stern look at both of them.

"Alright, alright, no racing and only stereo showing off," Makato relented since he knew the brown haired woman's temper first hand.

Project GT left Mt. Myogi's summit parking lot, each going to their homes for a long sleep that would probably last till Monday when they would begin a new training setup in the Super GT cars.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

During the month that passed since Ryosuke's team started what they were calling "bad settings" training, they had covered eight new setups that included everything from aerodynamic problems and brake issues to worn and even broken suspension pieces. Mikio had started taking laps in the cars again to get a feel for what could go wrong with both the FD and the NSX and get a general idea of how to fix both cars.

The farewell party that the other Gunma teams and the Emperors had set up for Project GT's mountain racing team was fun for all. They had sound system competitions among those who actually had non-factory systems and food delivered to the summit parking area at Myogi. Under threat of bodily harm from Nika, no one showed off or did anything stupid while the delivery guy was around.

When Gavin led the team into the parking area at the training facility they all noticed that there were two tractor trailers with "Takahashi Racing" written on the trailers and truck doors. The NSX sitting in front of one of the trucks was painted identically to the red and harvest gold one Gavin and Reiko already drove, but also had the same "Takahashi Racing" logo on the hood as well as all its sponsor decals in place. The FD in front of the other truck was dressed in a similar fashion matching the blue and Aztec gold FD Nika and Tatsuo currently drove. The only thing missing from both cars were the numbers that made them official GT qualified racing cars.

The new structure set up behind these two trucks took up quite a bit of space in the parking area. It was painted solid white with "Takahashi Racing" in gold lettering over the door. Reiko and Nika couldn't hide their curiosity as they rushed towards the structure with Gavin, Tatsuo and Mikio hot on their heels. The building wasn't heavily decorated but it had enough space for an entire racing team to sleep in, stacked berths and four separate bedrooms with doors and double beds.

"Bet you anything those bigger beds are for us drivers," Tatsuo said with a smirk as he continued to explore the place, finding a shower and the kitchen.

"And what about me? Do I get one of those big beds?" Mikio asked with some concern about where he would sleep.

"Only if Nika and I, or Reiko and Gavin share a room," the black haired man said with a laugh.

"Which will not be allowed to happen during the season, nor the practice race at Motegi," a deep voice said from behind all of them.

"Of course not Sir, we were just joking around with Mikio," Gavin replied turning to face the voice.

Ryosuke and the team's staff were standing near the entrance to the building. The brown haired man gave the class a small smirk before gesturing for them to follow the staff with his head. As they left the building Ryosuke had stopped and was leaning against Gavin's FD, earning a slight twitch from the buzz cut blonde, and was waiting patiently for his drivers and tester to arrive.

"These two cars are your spares for the season, your training vehicles have also been decaled and re-painted," Ryosuke said pointing to the FD and NSX sitting by the trucks, "If you'll proceed to the locker room you'll find new racing suits for you to wear."

The students bowed politely before running towards the locker room, each one going to their usual locker and finding brand new racing suits colored red, gold and blue with sponsor patches sewn in their proper places, and each of their names embroidered on the belts. Each of the new suits also had a helmet dressed in the same colors as the suits with their names written in small English lettering and Japanese kanji.

After he'd gotten into the new racing suit Gavin ran his thumb over the name on the helmet that he hadn't seen written out in English since he'd learned the Japanese way to write it when he was 15. Reiko and Nika both admired the suits before slipping into them, Tatsuo and Mikio quickly following their examples. Once they were all dressed they headed back out to the school's parking area only to be greeted by Ryosuke and the others standing between them and the cars.

"Okay, now that you're dressed for the part, we'll give you these," Ryosuke said pulling out five cards from his suit's inside pocket.

As the brown haired man handed each of them their FIA driving licenses their smiles only grew larger as they stared at the pictures they'd taken a couple weeks before and all the information on the cards.

"Okay, now that you've got those, we're allowing each of you to put your name on both cars, so Mr. Reynolds you'll start with the NSX and Ms. Mahara you can start with this FD," Keisuke said taking over for his Aniki with a smile, "The Sasaki twins here can start on the spares."

"I guess my name doesn't go on a car till I'm racing in one," Mikio said with a slight frown on his face.

"Sorry Mr. Taniguchi, you're not an official driver and though we hope your services aren't needed during the season to take a race seat, you are an important member here," Kyoko said with a calming tone.

"Besides, just means you get to hang out and watch the race and get paid for it," Gavin added with a laugh.

After everything calmed down from the jokes, Gavin took one of his name decals and went to work at putting it on the primary NSX while Reiko, Nika and Tatsuo did their own on the other cars. Mikio helped where he was needed, including helping Tatsuo get a wrinkle out of his label for the primary FD.

Once all the labeling was completed Gavin and Tatsuo took first rounds at the newest "bad setting" setups on the GT cars while Wataru and Kyoko helped clear the parking area of all the team's new stuff except the motor home, which would be taken down later by the track maintenance crew. Ryosuke stayed and watched his drivers make their laps instead of running off to the clinic for the day.

During his first set of thirty laps Gavin had already figured out the NSX's first problem of the day and warned Reiko of what to look out for, but waited to see if she came to the same conclusion as him during her thirty lap stint. Tatsuo and Nika found the answer to their first problem of the day during their combined sixty laps. Both teams let Mikio have a go at both cars before letting the pit team change the settings to start a whole new host of problems.

"Why are they letting him have a go?" Ryosuke asked quietly as Mikio climbed into the NSX to take a few laps.

"They give him five laps per problem to let him get a feel for what could go wrong, the mechanics change the settings, and then he has another go once the primary drivers figure out what it is," Kyoko said not believing her brother in-law could be asking such a question, "Not to mention it gets him a little seat time to keep himself in the right mindset."

"How you can't see that is an oddity in itself Aniki," Keisuke added not looking away from the track.

"I was just seeing if any of you did," Ryosuke said with a sly smirk on his lips, to which Kyoko and Keisuke both just rolled their eyes.

After going through four new settings on each car the drivers were allowed to take a break for food, drink and a check up by Ryosuke to make sure they weren't pushing themselves too hard. Gavin and Tatsuo managed to take a short nap in the motor home while waiting for the check ups to be finished since they were the first two to go.

While the students were under Ryosuke's care a courier brought the new numbers for the Super GT cars. Keisuke and Takumi had Kyoko and Wataru reset the cars to race ready condition in a hurry so they could test the cars themselves. The two men had fun as they took their first testing lap to see that the cars were properly set up, and to see if they still had the nerve to handle them.

During the second lap both the FD and the NSX set course records for the throttle course while flying to the best of the drivers' abilities. The men were about to start a third lap when Wataru called them in so the students could resume their training once Ryosuke had completed his task.

After the check ups were completed Gavin noticed immediately that both cars had numbers under the names they'd put on earlier in the day. This brought the smile that all of them had been wearing earlier right back to their faces.

"They came in while you were on break, so we've reset the cars to a race spec list to let you drive full tilt for a while," Wataru said noticing all the smiles.

"This mean we're going to Motegi soon?" Gavin asked not bothering to hide his excitement.

"The weekend after next, and you will be there for the whole weekend," Keisuke replied after getting a short nod from his brother, "Fujiwara and I will act as your team managers, Kyoko and Wataru as your mechanics, Fumihiro will be acting as the press officer for the team."

"What about Nobuhiko-sensei?" Reiko asked noticing the man standing there.

"Well I will be acting as a team strategist alongside Ryosuke-san, who will also be acting as the team physician," Nobuhiko replied with a small grin, "Now get back to your training before Keisuke decides to get back in the car."

Once again each of the drivers took to the cars starting with Gavin and Reiko setting new personal lap records, unknowingly matching the new course record and breaking several section records in the GT500 prepared NSX, Nika and Tatsuo doing very much the same with the GT300 ready FD. Mikio opted to stay out of the cars for the remainder of the day to watch his teammates' techniques from the sidelines.

When the Takahashi Racing Team managers called the two cars off the course for the day the whole staff met the drivers at the pit lane wall.

"You have tomorrow off. Mr. Reynolds I recommend you sleep through it, Mr. Sasaki the same could be said for you," Ryosuke said holding a couple folders at his side, "The rest of you check out fine, so just relax for the day."

"If you must you can celebrate tonight, just don't go doing anything stupid," Keisuke said with a smirk, "And most certainly, no drinking and driving."

"Wouldn't think of it Sir," Gavin replied with a nod as his teammates nodded.

Before Ryosuke's drivers left the track they made arrangements to meet up at one of fanciest restaurants in town, Mikio complaining that he didn't have the money at first before Ryosuke reminded him that he was drawing pay from the racing team now as the older man walked by the conversation.

"Mikio, how did you forget we get paid to do this now?" Gavin asked with a chuckle before he climbed into his FD and drove off.

"I also have nothing to wear, formal attire isn't exactly in my wardrobe," Mikio said nervously before the others could leave.

"I'm sure our father wouldn't mind lending you a suit," Reiko said pushing him to his Lan-Evo, "Now move, Nika and I need time to do our make up."

It took some convincing from Tatsuo but eventually Mikio was able to borrow a suit from the eldest Sasaki and joined the rest of them at the restaurant. They spoke of other things but the main topic of the night was speculation as to who they would be going up against and whether or not they would be able to invite family to their practice race at Motegi.

"Who would you invite Nika?" Tatsuo asked once the subject was brought up.

"My Dad for sure, if he wanted to bring my step-mom I guess I could welcome her too," the brown haired girl replied with a small grimace at the idea, "What about you Mikio?"

"My brother would love this, so he's definitely on the list," Mikio said chuckling at the thought of how his brother would react, "Gavin you're next, who would you invite?"

"My parents for sure, I think Megumi would enjoy seeing me in my newest racing forte, she always did love to watch me race," Gavin said, being so deep in thought he hadn't realized what he'd said, "Probably would have saved a seat for grandpa too if he were still around."

It was only then he noticed how everyone else was looking at him with a confused look, an upset one in Reiko's case that made him realize what he'd said. Before he could do anything about it Reiko left the table and went out the front door of the restaurant. The buzz cut blonde chased after her leaving the others behind to figure out what to do next.

"Reiko, I didn't mean that the way it sounded," He said when he caught up to his girlfriend, "She loves Super GT racing, I honestly think she would love to see one from the paddock."

"Then why didn't you say it that way?" the black haired girl replied still facing away from him, "The way you said it made it sound like you still cared about her."

"Again, I didn't mean it to sound that way, I get a little stupid sometimes, what can I say?" the buzz cut blonde said taking one of Reiko's hands in his, "Besides, I have you now and I'm happier with you than I ever was with her."

"Just don't talk about her anymore, then you'll be safe," Reiko replied with a tone somewhere between joking and not.

"You've got a deal."

The two headed back in and enjoyed what was left of the evening before they all went their separate ways, Mikio returning the suit he'd borrowed before returning to his own home in Tochigi. The next day Tatsuo and Gavin followed the recommendation of sleeping through their day off, Reiko and Nika went shopping with their mutual friend Emiko and Mikio went to the track for a little extra training under Wataru's supervision.

When they got back after their day off they noticed that all four of the GT cars were waiting for them on the track, and that the spare cars still carried no numbering. There were also two new cars, a black Honda HSV-010 GT and a black FD that had similar bodies to the others. Ryosuke's FC was again parked in the staff section of the parking area that wasn't taken up by the motor home that was still standing. In the other area where they would normally park there were more cars parked in their usual spots.

"Fujiwara-sensei, what's with the new cars on the track and the other cars in the lot?" Reiko asked not noticing that Shin'ichiro and Keiji and several other students from the Todo School were standing by the two black cars.

"We've brought the Todo Juku students you raced in Momiji Line to race against you here, just to give you a little practice really racing in a crowd of competitive opponents," the brown haired man replied from atop the monitoring boxes.

"It will also allow you to see what other people do with the same cars as you," Ryosuke's voice added from behind them, "Tomoyuki has brought 8 drivers, two for each of the new cars, and three students to run the other radios while he mans the fourth."

"So where did the two black cars come from?" Gavin asked looking towards the new arrivals.

"Those belong to this school to be used as training vehicles when the school opens to the public," the brown haired man answered without hesitation, "Suit up and get to the cars, Tomoyuki's students have been waiting for a rematch."

Every one of the drivers for the race flew towards the locker rooms, Mikio following a little ways behind to change in case he was needed to take over for someone. Reiko and Nika made their way into the motor home to change after getting their suits, helmets, HANS devices and fireproof gear, meeting the rest in pit lane ten minutes later.

"This is going to be your first full length race as professional drivers, so the rules of the series stand here, this goes for the Todo students as well," Ryosuke said as the thirteen drivers gathered around, "Basically no bumping, unless it's completely unavoidable, the race will start with a formation lap, no qualifying session will be run since there are only three cars to a series, so you'll just line up wherever."

The drivers of the Takahashi Racing Team moved to their usual cars while the Todo drivers were trying to figure out which cars to race in and the three other students they had brought were getting ready to run the radios for their classmates.

"Alright, Keiji has been working in the HSV, Shin'ichiro has been working with the black FD, so whoever wants to take the other roles, go ahead," Tomoyuki said after Gavin started strapping Reiko into the NSX and Tatsuo was being helped by Nika in the FD.

Once all the drivers were strapped in Gavin and Nika moved off the track with the rest of the support staff.

"Fujiwara-sensei, why an HSV instead of another NSX?" Gavin asked when he reached the top of the box.

"Some rumored regulation changes that will allow only front engine rear wheel drives to be run in Super GT some time in the near future," Takumi answered before checking the radio for Tatsuo. "You won't need to worry about that though; the rules and regulations are already set for your season."

On the track Reiko took the pole spot with the HSV currently driven by Todo Juku's Keiji taking the second place while the spare NSX moved into the third place just behind the leader. Tatsuo moved the numbered FD to the fourth place next to the spare NSX, while the black FD driven by Shin'ichiro and the unnumbered FD took the last two positions. The formation lap started letting the numbered NSX lead the other cars around the course.

"I'd like to know why you keep saying Reiko is the better driver," Keisuke said with a chuckle, his hand over the microphone as the six took the lap at a slow pace.

The looks he received from Takumi and Nika, as well as the operators of the Todo radios made him let out of sigh of resignation.

"She just is, you've seen my lap times Takahashi-sensei, they fall off after 20 laps because the car can't keep up with my style. I'm a better finishing driver, Reiko runs smooth all the way through," Gavin explained once the other radio operators had stopped listening, "I'm more aggressive, she's just plain smarter when she drives."

"And smarter makes the better driver to you?" Ryosuke asked overhearing the whole thing.

"In a situation like this, absolutely," the buzz cut blonde said with a somber tone, "The reason I lost against the NSX wasn't because the FD couldn't keep up with it, it was because I pushed too hard trying to get by in the early laps, where Reiko just ran her normal race."

The cars were lining back up on their positions at the start line causing all conversations to stop as everyone got ready for the start. When the lights turned green the leading NSX pulled ahead quickly with the unnumbered one close behind as the HSV struggled to gain traction. As all six cars cleared the first corner Keiji and the HSV had caught and passed the unnumbered NSX and was sitting on Reiko's rear bumper.

The two classes of cars began to separate as the faster three cars left the FDs behind through the long s-turn that started the more complex part of the course. The FDs had already started to battle it out through the s-turns, Tatsuo's FD still leading the way blocking a relentless amount of attacks from the black FD driven by Shin'ichiro while the unnumbered spare followed seemingly content to see how that battle would turn out.

After ten laps it was plain to see that Reiko was the fastest of the three leading cars but Keiji in the HSV and the driver of the unnumbered NSX were still close behind. The FD race had changed rather drastically, Shin'ichiro was now blocking attacks from his classmate and the gap between Tatsuo and the black FD had opened a fair distance.

"Whoever has my radio, tell Taniguchi-san he may have to take over for me, my concentration is starting to fall off," Shin'ichiro said as he finished the eleventh lap.

"He's already on standby, say the word and we'll let him in Shin-kun," Tomoyuki's voice replied in a serious tone.

When the fifteenth lap ended Shin'ichiro made the call to end his stint in the race early and pulled into pit lane where the pit crew changed the tires and added fuel to the tank while Mikio helped him out of the FD before strapping himself in and driving out to join in the race.

"Alright Taniguchi-kun, you're racing for Todo right now so go for it," Tomoyuki's voice said with a grin.

The black FD managed to catch up to the other cars just before their scheduled pit stops ten laps later. Having already stopped once, Mikio stayed out and fell in line behind Reiko who also decided to stay on the course for a proper flying lap. When the other four cars came back into the track the gap was big enough for Reiko and Mikio both to come in and Gavin and the second Todo driver of the FD to come back onto the field still in first place of their classes.

"Okay Gavin, let's see you finish it," Keisuke said with chuckle.

As the race entered the fortieth lap of fifty Gavin was fighting off the second driver of the HSV, the unnumbered NSX had dropped back and watched on while Nika was fighting off both of the Todo drivers in the other FDs after having passed the black one coming out of the last u-turn of the course. By the forty fifth lap, Gavin's NSX and the HSV were well ahead of the other pack, the unnumbered NSX included. The unnumbered NSX was so far behind these two cars he was fighting off attacks from Nika's FD.

"Damn this guy is fast," Gavin said with a chuckle while looking at the HSV chewing on his bumper, "At least I'm getting a challenge."

"Good to look at it that way, now stop chatting and drive," Keisuke's voice replied through the radio before the NSX began opening the gap over the HSV.

By the last lap Gavin had opened the gap enough to stave off any attacks from the HSV and Nika had passed the unnumbered NSX before leaving it and the other FDs behind to try and chase down the other two cars.

Gavin and his NSX opened a half second gap over the HSV before crossing the line with it close on his heels. Nika came in third overall and leading the GT300 class, the second NSX finished in fourth overall followed by the unnumbered FD then the black one.

The Todo Juku students left after congratulating the drivers of the Takahashi Racing Team on their second victory against them. About twenty minutes after Mikio and the others went to change out of their racing suits Kyoko found Tatsuo and Mikio in two of the berths in the motor home asleep in their street clothes.

When she found Nika, the brown haired young woman looked as though she'd just flopped onto the bed in one of the bedrooms and fallen asleep with her racing suit tied at the waist, and Gavin and Reiko were asleep in one of the other bedrooms holding each other close still wearing their racing suits.

Keisuke came in looking for the drivers and Kyoko, but seeing that he simply took his wife's arm and pulled her out of the structure before she could wake them.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

After a week of longer, forty lap practice sessions per driver, the drivers of the Takahashi Racing Team were helping their mechanics and pit crew members load the trucks that would be heading to Motegi for their practice race against a few professionals. As Kyoko and Wataru checked off each item as it was loaded, Keisuke and Takumi loaded the four cars into their respective trucks. Ryosuke gave each of his drivers a full physical in the school's small infirmary before telling them to go home. Gavin and Tatsuo fell asleep the moment their heads hit pillows in their own beds, while Nika, Reiko and Mikio found themselves having a hard time getting to sleep as the events of the next three days played a million different ways in their heads.

The next day, with the two equipment trucks already at the track with the two car carriers and the motor home having been taken out earlier in the week to allow time for setting it up, the drivers met up with only their instructors turned team managers and mechanics at the school.

"Ryosuke-san, is there any way we could take our own cars to the track?" Reiko asked seeming a little more shy than normal.

"I see no problem with it, if that's what you'd like to do then by all means, you are my drivers now, not my brother's students," Ryosuke answered with a small smirk on his lips, "Load up, we're running behind schedule."

As the team made their way to Motegi, it was Gavin and Tatsuo's turn to be the nervous wrecks as they drove the two hours from the school to the Twin Ring Motegi circuit. When they arrived they drove almost all the way to the team's first paddock where the GT300 prepped blue and gold FD sat waiting to start the races, the red and silvery gold NSX only a couple doors down from it.

"Okay, you know where you're supposed to be so get there and let's get on the track while it's empty," Ryosuke said with a commanding tone causing everyone to scramble.

Kyoko, Takumi and Nobuhiko headed to the GT300 paddock as Wataru, Ryosuke and Keisuke headed for the GT500 garage area while Reiko, Nika, Tatsuo, Gavin and Mikio all headed for the motor home to change into their fireproof suits for a few 'get to know you' laps on the track.

"You know you won't race this weekend Mikio, why did you change?" Gavin asked as his bleach blonde teammate helped him with his HANS device in the garage.

"Figured I may as well be ready just in case, plus I like the feeling I get when I wear this thing," Mikio said with a laugh as he pulled at his own fireproof suit.

"I know what you mean, maybe after the race they'll let you take a few laps," the buzz cut blonde replied as he got into the NSX.

The NSX moved onto the course followed closely by the FD being driven by Tatsuo to get in two laps at speed before practice started the next day. When Gavin and Tatsuo came off the course they helped strap Nika and Reiko in before sending them out to do their laps.

"Ryosuke-san, would it be possible for me to take the NSX or the FD for a couple laps after practice?" Mikio asked as the two cars made their way around the course.

"No, we need to get them set up to the driver's preferences before tomorrow, right now they're running on blank slates," the brown haired doctor answered with a serious tone, "Get to know the mechanical side while you're here and you can help them during the season," he added seeing the bleach blonde's disappointment.

Mikio nodded and walked over to Wataru and started his mechanical training once the NSX was back in the garage. About an hour later the drivers took notice of a convoy of trucks starting to pull into the garage area, each one marked with a different team logo.

"Those are your opponents this weekend, six cars from each class so there will be a pretty big crowd on the course for tomorrow's practice and qualifying session," A black haired man said from behind them.

"Well that will make things interesting now won't it?" Gavin said with a smirk on his lips and determination in his eyes.

"Who are you Sir?" Reiko asked turning to the black haired man.

"I'm the course's lead pit judge, but I'll be acting as the race director this weekend, just call me Hiro for now," the black haired man said with a smile, "Ryosuke set this up for your little group here, so please show your best behavior and do your best for him huh?"

"Absolutely Sir, nothing to worry about," Gavin answered with the determination still burning in his eyes.

The black haired man shook his head with a quiet chuckle before walking to greet the teams that were showing up and tell them where to set up. Project GT took two more laps on the course with the cars set their way, just before the other teams started doing the same. Once he was out of his fireproof suit Gavin was nearly tackled as he stepped out of the motor home.

"Megumi, what the hell girl?" the buzz cut blonde said with a half angered tone once he regained his footing as she held him at the middle.

"Thank you so much for inviting me here; I'm loving every minute of this and nothing has even happened yet," the blonde haired girl said bouncing a little once she let go of him, "Also I wanted to say I'm happy to see you making your dream come true, since I couldn't."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Reiko asked from behind Gavin with a hint of jealousy in her tone.

"I crashed my car right before breaking up with Gavin, the injuries I got in that crash kept me from meeting with a racing scout at the course head where we used to start our races from," Megumi replied politely.

"Damn, no one told me about that, what series were they looking for?" Gavin asked rejoining the conversation.

"Some rally team, your parents are here by the way, your Dad threatened to come here UA from what I understand," the blonde haired girl with a grin.

"Sounds like Dad, where are they?" the buzz cut blonde said shaking his head a bit.

"With the others, I just wandered off and spotted you first," Megumi replied as Tatsuo and Nika stepped from the motor home, "Come on, I'll lead the way."

The drivers followed Gavin's ex-girlfriend to a huddle of people who stood talking to each other. Reiko immediately ran ahead and hugged her and Tatsuo's father while the others continued to move as one towards the group.

"Alright so who is starting the introductions?" an older man with a grey buzz cut similar to Gavin's asked as they all stood there.

"Steven and Helen Reynolds, this is Tatsuo Sasaki, he's Reiko's twin brother. Nika Mahara is his teammate in GT300, and Mikio Taniguchi is the test driver for our team," Gavin said gesturing to each of them, "You've already met Reiko so there really isn't a need to introduce her," he added taking Reiko's hand in his as she stepped back with the drivers.

"Onii-chan, how have you been?" a slender young boy asked from between Gavin's parents.

"I'm doing okay Kitamura," Mikio answered stepping up to the young boy and hugging him before he looked to Gavin's father, "I'd like to thank you for bringing him Reynolds-san and apologize for any inconvenience."

"It was no trouble at all Mikio-kun, he's kept us quite entertained during our trip," Helen, a graying blonde woman just taller than Nika, replied with a kind smile.

"Well, now that we've said our hellos and been formally introduced I'd like to speak with my son a minute," Steven said reaching up and grabbing Gavin by the shoulder before dragging him off.

"What's up Dad? You don't normally drag me off like that unless there's bad news," Gavin said once they were away from the crowd.

"Didn't want your mother to see me get all mushy," the grey haired man replied with a smile, "We're both very proud of you Gavin, especially under the circumstances of your leaving home. I'm glad to see you making something of your dreams."

"Thanks Dad, think maybe the MPs on base will stop giving me parking tickets if I put the FD on the streets after we start our season?" the buzz cut blonde asked with a chuckle before turning back to the group.

"Probably not, that thing got you into a lot of trouble when you were younger," Steven said with a laugh of his own as he followed his son.

The two rejoined the group as the man who said he was Nika's father during earlier introductions was speaking up so they remained quiet and listened.

"Nika, as your father I'm so proud to see that you've chosen a good man in Tatsuo and that you've finally decided what it is you really want in life," Toshiyuki paused for a moment to steady his voice, "I'm also extraordinarily proud of you for fighting to make that choice come true."

Nika immediately stepped closer to her father and wrapped him in a warm hug as everyone else just watched on. Reiko and Tatsuo's parents looked as though they didn't really know what to do.

"You're not going to make some speech are you Kit?" Mikio asked breaking the silence that had fallen on the group.

"I'm not that sappy Onii-chan, though I do have a message to pass on from Mom and Dad," Kitamura replied causing everyone to laugh, "They say they're proud of you for making it this far after leaving the school so early in the training and they also apologize for not being here the whole weekend, but they'll be here for the race."

"So do the team managers get an introduction or not?" Keisuke's voice asked from behind the drivers.

"Takahashi-san, are we needed?" Gavin asked genuinely curious since they had been dismissed for the day.

"Just came by to say dinner is on Aniki tonight if your families would like to join us," the spiky blonde said with a chuckle, "Now I believe introductions are in order, I'm Keisuke Takahashi and I'm the team manager for our GT500 drivers this season."

Everyone greeted the man accordingly before the whole group walked back to the place where the vehicles were parked. The school's main staff left the track followed closely by the drivers and their families. Introductions were once again made at the restaurant, Natsuki had joined them and they enjoyed a quiet meal before the drivers went back to the motor home for the night and the families went to their hotel rooms.

"To bed with all of you, you've got a long day tomorrow," Ryosuke said to the drivers of his team around eleven thirty as he climbed to one of the top berths in the motor home, each driver nodding and heading to their beds as he did so.

When they woke they were immediately pulled into the hustle of things and were getting ready for the practice session when Fumihiro pulled them away.

"Alright, this is the pre-race meeting, basically what they'll cover is the rules and regulations as well as track and weather conditions for the day," Fumihiro said as they walked to the building where the meeting was to be held, "This is usually done on race day, but we have modified the schedule a little to fit around the meeting rooms being booked."

Once there Hiro, Motegi's own pit lane judge and acting race director, covered exactly what Fumihiro said he would before dismissing the drivers back to their teams. The black haired man followed the Takahashi Racing Team drivers back to their garage explaining a few additional things that might be covered in future meetings. Once they arrived back at the boxes Nika and Reiko were immediately strapped into the cars and took to the track for the practice session.

Everything went pretty easily during the practice session except for a minor spinout with one of the other drivers who hit something in the track and punctured a tire during Gavin's laps. When the qualifying session started after lunch Gavin took first laps and combined with Reiko's times they managed a respectable second place starting position in their class.

When Tatsuo took to the track for the FD's second qualifying time he made easy work of the first two laps before laying into the throttle for the third lap. He noticed the car behind him moving to try and pass before the corner, and as he entered the corner just ahead, the other car ducked to the inside going too fast and began sliding off its line. Tatsuo's reflexes were the only thing that saved him from an almost certain crash, he slammed the brake pedal to the floor and swerved in behind the second car just before it went out of the track and into the grass. Tatsuo was able to salvage what was left of the lap and get the FD set into the third starting position of their class.

Once qualifying was done Natsuki helped Gavin prepare a large dinner for the mechanics and drivers to celebrate their starting positions being better than any of them expected.

"Do you think they took it easy because this is only practice for us?" Mikio asked seriously as they ate.

"Did you see that guy that nearly hit me Mikio? He certainly wasn't taking it easy," Tatsuo said with a chuckle, "Not to mention that even though we did our best, we aren't holding either pole position."

"Well to get off our racing, how did your little brother enjoy the paddock today?" Gavin asked politely.

"He was bouncing all over the place, I'm shocked Wataru-san didn't smack the devil out of him after having to pry him off the tool boxes so much," the bleach blonde man laughed.

"He means that literally, Kitamura-kun ran into them more than once," Wataru said causing everyone to break out laughing.

After everyone finished their meals Gavin, Reiko, Tatsuo, Nika and the rest of the team went to sleep for the long day ahead of them while Mikio and Natsuki cleaned the kitchen as quietly as possible before going to bed themselves.

The next morning was even more hectic, the main drivers had just enough time to change into their fireproof suits before being whisked off by Fumihiro to a pre-race press conference held mainly by the other teams' press officers as well as a few actual journalists who were invited to cover the event.

"Mr. Reynolds, what are your feelings on this practice race?" one of the press officers asked, identifiable by the logo on her shirt.

"If it keeps us in top form, I see no problem with holding a race off the season calendar, even if it is just for fun," the buzz cut blonde answered after a moment's thought, getting nods of approval from a few of the veteran drivers.

"Mr. Sasaki, do you think the spin out of the other driver yesterday hurt your overall position in this race?" someone else asked.

"We'll never know since I was on my last lap when it happened," the black haired young man said with a smile, also gaining a nod from a couple of the older drivers.

With a few more serious questions asked of all the drivers from the two or three real journalists in the small crowd, the drivers were let loose to get ready for the race. Once they were back in the boxes Fumihiro praised each of them for their answers to the questions asked and for taking it as though it were a real press conference.

Once they were in the cars and making their way around the course to their spots on the starting line, Reiko and Tatsuo finally let it sink in they were going up against true professional racers.

"You'll be fine, just like racing against Todo Juku, only with more people," Wataru said with a quiet chuckle when he saw the nervousness in Reiko's eyes.

Reiko simply closed her eyes and shook her head as best she could given the fact she was hooked to the seat. The black haired man tapped her helmet a couple times before walking off the course with the other mechanics. Shortly after the warm up lap started for both categories, as they made their way around the course a few were weaving back and fourth to warm their tires before they took their places on the starting grid once again.

"Reiko, don't forget to breathe," Gavin's voice came through the radio in her helmet.

"Alright Ms. Sasaki, you're leading out, keep your place as best you can until things get a little less hectic," Keisuke's voice came through the radio before she could say anything back to Gavin.

"Tatsuo getting the same pep talk from Fujiwara-san?" she asked with a short chuckle.

"Pretty much, now pay attention to the lights," Keisuke said with the same short chuckle.

When the lights over the course went out Reiko and Tatsuo both floored the throttles and managed to keep themselves in their proper places until the first corner. Tatsuo slipped by the WRX he was being led by on a better line, picking up second place in the GT300.

"Nice move Tatsuo, don't get cocky though," Takumi said through the radio as the FD made its pass, "He's already right back on your tail."

Reiko and the NSX in front of her were pinned together as they cleared the long open u-turn. As they flew through the straight that followed Reiko managed to pull side by side with the first place GT500 car. She had to fall behind to clear the next tight left hander.

Even on the sidelines Gavin and Nika could feel their adrenaline levels begin to rise as they watched their teammates fly around the course. Gavin let out a cheerful yelp as Reiko slipped past the black NSX that held the pole position and took the lead of the GT500 class.

"I knew she could do it, come on Reiko fly that thing," the buzz cut blonde half shouted at the monitor in front of him.

As they completed half the race the positions changed very little at the front of each category. Nika and Tatsuo were the first to change out taking their pit stop a lap earlier than the others but still within the mandatory window, getting out well before the pack so they weren't placed a lap down. When Gavin went out in the NSX he was pinned behind a couple of the GT300 cars as they came off pit lane, but he was still on the lead lap.

Once out on the track he was let by and quickly caught up to a small group of 4 cars, the Takahashi Racing FD pinned in the middle against the outside.

"Takahashi-san, tell Nika to slip in behind me when I pass," Gavin said as the car holding her in place moved to get out of his way.

When the NSX passed the FD, Nika did exactly what she was told and glued herself to the NSX as best she could allowing her to retake the second place position and then the lead of the GT300 pack.

"Now tell her to start running her own race instead of letting them run it for her, I've got my own thing to do," Gavin said pinning the throttle of the NSX to the floor to catch the rest of the GT500 pack that was still out.

"She appreciates the advice and told you to kick some ass," Keisuke's voice came through the radio.

As the race went into its last lap, Gavin was having trouble with his tires, but once again he was using the slight oversteer of the NSX to block the near constant attacks from the Toyota SC430 in third as he fought to gain on the lead car. Still in the lead, Nika was in less trouble as she and the two cars behind her had broken away from the pack and come up to the back of the GT500 category. She now only had to fight off relentless attacks from the red RX-7 in second.

"Damn that boy is crazy," someone from another team said as the Takahashi Racing NSX slid nearly sideways around the v-turn to take the lead spot of the GT500 category pulling the blue SC430 into second right behind him.

"Bet you can't do that twice Mr. Reynolds," Keisuke said with a smirk.

"Wouldn't want to try Sir," the buzz cut blonde replied as he continued to fight off the attacks of his opponent.

As the NSX led the way into the final straight Gavin weaved back and forth to keep his opponent firmly planted in second place. When the FD came into the straight Nika picked one of the GT500 cars, a Nissan GT-R, to chase and slipped into its draft as long as the FD could stay in it allowing her to pull away from her opponents slightly.

As they approached the last few small corners in the Motegi road course, Gavin had managed to hold off his opponent and was trying his hardest to keep his head where it should be instead of in victory lane. Nika on the other hand had just enough of a lead on her second place opponent to let her head get too far away from the race.

"NIKA CORNER!" Takumi shouted causing the girl to slam the brakes in order to make the corner.

The FD lost a lot of ground but managed to keep its lead as it flew into the last three corners. The NSX belonging to the Takahashi Racing Team crossed the finish line with the blue SC430 still in second position, its nose just next to the NSX's door. The FD fared only slightly better having the red RX-7 in second next to its back wheel.

"WE WON!" Reiko shouted excitedly over and over as she bounced around the paddock causing Tatsuo to laugh a bit while the other teams stared.

"Alright fly girl time to come back to earth," her brother said with a chuckle as he grabbed her sleeve and pulled her out of sight.

A small victory ceremony was held with no champagne or other fanfare since there weren't actually any fans there outside of the families the other teams brought along. Then they were dragged off to yet another press conference where most of the questions were directed towards the other drivers after the usual questions about how the victors felt were asked.

"How does it feel to lose to a rookie team?" one of the press agents asked rather rudely.

"I guess it's not as bad as if it happened during an official race, but it still stings a bit," the driver of the SC430 that came in second in the GT500 answered with a chuckle, "But we'll see what happens through next season when they really join us, then we'll see how good they really are."

"Will this make any of you train harder so that it doesn't happen again?" one of the reporters asked.

"We all lose at some point, there is no possible way to win every race, we train to get faster and so does everyone else," the driver of the second NSX that finished third said with an almost blank expression.

Once they were out of the press conference the other drivers congratulated the Takahashi Racing Team's drivers for a race well run and a well deserved victory before they all went off to their own teams to pack up. Ryosuke's Project GT team met back at their two garage spaces and helped pack everything they could after changing back into their regular clothing. Their parents met them after they had everything packed, Gavin's mother being the most excited to see him win the race. Reiko and Tatsuo's parents announced they would be taking the whole team to celebrate, arguing slightly with Keisuke about the training schedule before Ryosuke agreed for the rest of the team.

When they arrived at the restaurant Reiko and Gavin sat next to one another with Nika and Tatsuo across from their parents while everyone else seemed to fill in the gaps. The conversation was light and almost nothing of the race was mentioned aside from Gavin's crazy slide through the v-turn in the last lap, to which the buzz cut blonde admitted being completely insane and something he would not try to do again to the comfort of his mother and team manager.

"Hey guys, I don't think I'm driving back, who wants to take my car back to the circuit?" Mikio asked severely slurring his words.

"I'll take it back, but you should really stop drinking so much, you're already to the point you couldn't walk a crooked line," Reiko said with a laugh.

"I'm not that bad off," Mikio said just before falling back onto the floor with a groan.

"Onii-chan, you're such a drunken idiot," Kitamura said with a laugh, "Not that he always drinks, matter a fact I think this is only the second time I've ever seen it, but he always drinks too much for his own good," the boy added defending his brother.

"Any amount of alcohol is a bad thing young man," Ryosuke said seriously, "I'll have a talk with him when he comes to, seems he wasn't quite honest with me as his doctor."

This last comment made them turn to see Mikio's keys lying on his chest, placed there unnoticed just before he passed out.

"Oh great, that means Tatsuo and I are going to have to get him into his Lan-Evo the fun way," Gavin said with a smirk. That added to Tatsuo's own expression told everyone they were up to some mischief.

"Hey, don't hurt my big brother," Kitamura half shouted standing over the bleach blonde.

"They meant no harm Kitamura-kun," Reiko said sweetly making the boy blush as she took Mikio's keys from his chest, "I'll make sure that nothing happens to him," she added with a threatening tone towards her boyfriend and brother.

After the celebrations ended Kitamura decided it best to stay close to his brother for the night so he rode back to the paddock of the Motegi circuit with Reiko in the Lan-Evo VI and spent the night in the berth above him, given up by Ryosuke. Before they left the track the next day Ryosuke had his talk with Mikio while everyone else finished packing everything or helped take down the structure that was their weekend home.

After all was done the team was ordered to the training facility to help unload. When they arrived Gavin was the first to notice two new lanes coming off the long loop of the throttle course that led into a fenced off area. Tatsuo was the first to notice several new cars in the garages and the trainer cars they'd basically grown up as drivers in were missing from the line up.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"Takahashi-sensei, where are our trainer cars?" Tatsuo Sasaki, a tall black haired young man, asked with shock evident in his tone.

"They've been restored to factory specifications and sold to private owners since they were to no longer be used," Ryosuke responded coolly while walking to open the trucks and start the unloading process.

"And the two new lanes off the throttle course's loop turn back there will lead to a couple new layouts that will also be separate courses of their own," Keisuke said before anyone could ask about them, "We're a school that trains racing drivers, you didn't think that would mean just Super GT did you?"

Ryosuke called them to unload the trucks and even the track maintenance crew came to help. About an hour later with the trucks unloaded, Gavin and Tatsuo separated themselves from the rest of the team to go look at some of the new cars in the garage area. When they stepped into the garage the first two cars were the black HSV-010 GT and the black FD they had raced against with Todo Juku's class.

On the far side of the two tested Super GT cars sat several vehicles with stock appearances including a black and gold Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII, a bright orange Nissan Silvia S15, and a black Toyota Supra along with a few other high performance cars.

"I wonder who they sold that old Cosmo to, those things are worth a pretty penny these days," Gavin said as the two men walked around each of the new cars.

"That honor went to me Mr. Reynolds," A voice attached to an older blonde haired man wearing a black business suit came from behind the two men.

"Crandon-san, what brings you to the school today?" Tatsuo asked with a polite bow.

"I came to congratulate your team on the victory during your practice race," David replied with a kind tone, "Though I had to hunt you two down before I could do that."

When the three men walked back into the small conference room where the rest of the staff and the Takahashi Racing Team had gathered everyone found a seat at the huge table.

"I'm sure you have questions about the new cars in that garage and why your trainers were sold off, so I'll let Crandon-san answer those," Ryosuke said from his place at the head of the table, "After that we'll answer whatever questions you have dealing with the season to come."

"Well, since he's just given me the table I guess I should tell the full story behind my being here," David said with a small cough, "My American street racing team of over ten years decided it was time to disband after the passing of our original leader. He gave me that Lan-Evo out there and a few of the other team members, my wife included, decided to donate their racing vehicles to the future use of this school."

"So basically the cars out there are purpose built for street racing?" Gavin asked with a curious tone that the faces of his teammates matched.

"Yup, only two of them have seen any other use, the orange S15 and the black Supra were daily drivers for a time before being used in street racing," the older blonde man replied with a small chuckle at the wide eyed stares the statement earned him.

"My only question is what's going to become of this place once our season starts next year?" Reiko asked with an almost reverent tone.

"This place will remain your training facility until your season is done with, after that it will become the school it was meant to be," Ryosuke replied calmly, "A school where we will train anyone who wants to be more than just a street racer."

"We as in us too? Or 'we' as in just the staff that's here already?" Gavin asked raising an eyebrow.

"Once your contracts are up you will be allowed to continue your careers as you choose," Keisuke replied with a serious tone.

"You're only legally attached to us until after your season's official end. What you do after that, be it teaching, mechanics or a continued career in driving, is completely up to you," Kyoko said with a lighter tone, "We will have additional instructors hired on by the time the season ends, but as our first graduates you're more than welcome to come back and teach with us in any chosen capacity."

"Well that decision will probably be made by the end of the season, but right now shouldn't we be training?" Gavin asked sounding a little more irritated than he meant.

"What is upsetting you Mr. Reynolds?" Ryosuke asked not being the only to notice his tone.

"Was just hoping for one last spin in the Cosmo Sir, after our assignments to regular trainers I kinda missed that thing," the buzz cut blonde said sounding a little embarrassed, "Was hoping to vent a little frustration on the track is all."

"Well, if your managers agree I'm sure we could work something out with those cars you now have in the garage," David said with a chuckle, "Be warned though, the S15 is the only one with right hand drive in the bunch."

"Those cars have nothing in them either," the track maintenance crew's leader said before making his way to the room's door, "We haven't put any oil, gas, coolant or anything else in them since their arrival, so I guess I'm going to do that now."

Before anyone could protest his actions the man was through the door. The remaining staff and drivers spent a few minutes going over the race details as well as the drivers being able to take a couple days off a week until their season started.

As the rest of the day passed Reiko, Nika, Tatsuo, Gavin and Mikio spent time testing each of the new cars except for the black and gold Lan-Evo VIII that would remain in the garage untouched until the school opened to all comers at the request of David's team back in North Carolina. When Ryosuke finally told them to leave it was nearing dinner time and he knew that none of them had eaten so he offered once again to buy his whole team dinner, his drivers opting to go their own way for the evening.

"So where are you leading us Gavin?" Nika asked through the radio as the five cars made their way to an unknown location.

"Just this great little place I know, Mikio I hope you don't have to be back in Irohazaka tonight," Gavin said with an amused tone.

"Actually I moved into a little apartment closer to the school shortly after signing my contract with the team, don't need to go back at all unless I want to see my folks or Kit," the bleach blonde man answered with a chuckle imagining his classmates' faces.

Everyone remained silent the rest of the trip till Reiko realized that they were turning into her boyfriend's apartment building.

"Oh goodie, Gavin's place," the curly black haired young lady said with a happy tone as she parked her car next to the toreador red FD.

"Alright, what are we doing at your place Gavin?" Mikio asked with a curious tone as they walked towards the door of Gavin's apartment.

"I'm cooking, is that a problem?" the buzz cut blonde asked with a chuckle.

"Mikio, if you liked that dinner we had at the track after qualifying you'll love this," Tatsuo said noticing the uncertain look on Mikio's face.

"What makes you say that? Natsuki-san cooked, Gavin only helped," the bleach blonde replied sounding confused as his teammates started laughing as they spread out through the small apartment.

"Mikio, I'm a restaurant grade chef thanks to my old man and his mother. Natsuki-san was helping me that day and before you even ask, I got into driving because it's more fun than cooking," Gavin said from behind the counter in the kitchen.

Gavin and Reiko were in the kitchen working on dinner while Mikio and Tatsuo played a few races while Nika watched. When they were called to the table Gavin had prepared a parmesan chicken penne dish with sun dried tomatoes that Mikio was practically drooling at the smell of.

"Put your tongue back in your head Taniguchi, it's rude and I don't like cleaning up drool," Gavin said with a chuckle as the older man snapped his jaw shut, "Pass your glasses this way, I've got something special for tonight's drink."

They did as instructed and with Reiko's help Gavin took all the glasses back into the kitchen and poured five glasses of a white chardonnay he'd popped the cork on before they started cooking.

"Not trying to get me drunk again are you Reynolds?" Mikio asked as he tasted the wine.

"Nope, but I would recommend staying here if you think you're going to have trouble getting back to your apartment," the buzz cut blonde replied before passing the serving spoon for the penne around.

They enjoyed their meal while telling Mikio what he'd missed out on as far as Gavin's cooking for the team every once in a while. They also spoke of trying to talk the staff into letting Mikio race one of them as the rest of the team had. Mikio quickly turned the idea down knowing he wouldn't stand much of a chance against any of one of the current staff.

Meanwhile in a small family style restaurant, the staff of the Takahashi Racing Team was enjoying their own dinners. Natsuki and David's wife were talking about setting up a shopping spree while the American woman was in the country, Keisuke and Kyoko were talking about ways to improve the FD without overshooting the three hundred horsepower limit regulations kept them at while sharing a shrimp plate, and Ryosuke and David were talking about the school's future and the new track.

"So exactly how are you planning to get this new track built Ryosuke-san?" David asked with a serious tone.

"We'll start with what funding we already have to get the track itself laid out, paved and ready to use," Ryosuke replied before taking a sip of his coffee, "Then once the school starts gaining some interest through the Super GT races, I'll talk to some of the investors at the clinic to take up what's left and get the electronics and lighting put in."

"What is this new track going to be used for once it's done?" Takumi asked jumping into the conversation.

"It will be used for training our GT drivers if it's at least paved before their season starts," Ryosuke answered the younger man, "Once the school opens to the public it will be used for open wheel racing cars like Formula 1 and GP2."

"Okay, so how exactly will the new course be laid out?" David asked with a curious tone, "Hairpins and banked u-turns or flat like a street course?"

"While the new layouts have not been completely confirmed yet there are several hairpins and at least two banked corners in one option," The brown haired man answered, "However the other layout options will be flat like the road courses, the main course will be based on corners from F1 courses all over the world."

Once the staff went their separate ways Takumi and Natsuki headed towards the gas station Takumi used to work at when he was in high school. When they arrived the Subaru Outback that belonged to Natsuki was led to the pump by one of the younger hands before Takumi stepped out of the car.

"Takumi, it has been a long time since you came out here to see us," Iketani's voice said with a slight chuckle as he approached the younger man.

"I can't help that I've been swamped at the training grounds and you guys know that you're welcome to come by but won't," the brown haired man answered with a smile, "Where is Itsuki tonight?"

"He's running the registers tonight, boss left early this afternoon," the black haired man said with a chuckle, "He'd be pissed if you dropped by and didn't go in to see him, I'll handle your car."

Natsuki got out of the car hearing that Itsuki was inside and went with her husband to see their old high school friend. When the pair stepped into the building Itsuki immediately came around and greeted them. They spent a while talking before Iketani came in with Kenji close behind him.

"What's had you off the face of the planet for so long Kenji?" Takumi asked upon seeing the black haired man.

"Oh just work, life in general and the kids," the older man replied sending everyone to the floor in shock.

"When did you even get married!?" Itsuki asked angrily as he dusted himself off, "And why have none of us met her?"

"Well for one we got married two years ago," Kenji answered with a half scared tone, "And to answer the second question, she's nicer than you lot are and the way you two used to sulk on about racers not needing girlfriends I figured you didn't want to."

"Well, you can bring her by the school to meet Takumi and I if you want her to meet old friends," Natsuki said sweetly.

They spoke for a while about Iketani and Itsuki coming to visit the school before the Super GT season started and how no one would be there after it did, since Kenji had already agreed to drop by. Takumi and Natsuki called an end to the visit because Takumi had to test and set the school's new cars and Natsuki had several meetings to attend with Fumihiro and some of the parts and tool suppliers the school used the next morning.

The following night Mikio had basically kidnapped his brother from his after school activities and they were headed towards a surprise that Mikio and his teammates had set up with the other teams in Gunma during the team's day off.

"Come on Onii-chan, where are we going?" Kitamura asked with an excited tone from the passenger seat of the Lan-Evo while he fiddled with the blindfold his brother had put on him.

"You take that blindfold off or I tell you and it will ruin the surprise," Mikio said with a chuckle behind the reprimanding tone.

"Do Mom and Dad know you have me at least? You know they'll freak if they don't," the black haired young boy said with a concerned tone.

"They know I have you little brother and they also know you're spending the night with me so just sit back and enjoy the ride, we're almost there," the bleach blonde answered after turning the radio Tatsuo had given him on and putting in his ear piece.

He didn't quite understand the need for a handheld radio with an ear piece when he'd rejoined the school, but he quickly figured out that it could be quite distracting hearing a voice in your head if you weren't ready for it.

"Alright Mikio we're all set up here, it was a nice idea for you to do all this for your brother's birthday," Reiko's voice came in reply to his statement of being close.

The Lan-Evo made its way up Mt. Akagi's pass at a snail's pace to keep from spoiling the surprise of where they were. When the phoenix red machine arrived at the summit, music could be heard through the windows but nothing else. Mikio helped his brother to the middle of the parking lot and faced him towards the cars in the parking lot.

"Surprise little brother," Mikio whispered before pulling the blind fold off his brother's head.

The boy could only gasp at all the cars sitting in the lot in the parking area. As Kitamura made his way around each of the race ready machines Mikio didn't have the heart to break the moment to explain the presence of the cars just yet. It took a few minutes for the young boy to realize that his brother's team was standing behind him with a ton of other people he'd never seen before.

"Mikio, what's going on here?" Kit asked as he stepped away from the cars.

"You pick which car you want to ride in and these drivers here will take you down the pass," Mikio said just before his brother jumped into his chest and hugged him, "Happy Birthday little brother," he added with a chuckle.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," the black haired young boy repeated a few times before he ran back over to Gavin's FD, "This one first!" the boy said as he bounced excitedly on the balls of his feet.

"Happy Birthday Kitamura-kun," Gavin said mussing the boy's hair as he climbed into the driver's seat of his FD.

After the FD left the parking lot Makato Fujimoto helped set up a table for the cake that Reiko had brought with her so they wouldn't be eating off the hood of one of the cars.

"Everyone, I'd like to thank you for agreeing to this," Mikio said with a short but deep bow, "My brother loves cars, probably more than any of us, but I didn't expect this many of you to agree."

"Well, when Reiko pled your case to the Blue Fire team, we couldn't refuse," the leader of the team said with a smile.

"Same goes for the Night Wolves and the Street Kings, it's fun for us, why not let it be for him too?" Makato said slapping Mikio on the back, also speaking for the Street Kings leader who nodded his agreement.

"What about the Usui Sparks and the Emperors?" Reiko asked looking to the two leaders of the teams.

"Hey, we know the kid, we would have been here without asking us to do the ride along thing," the new leader of the Emperors said with a laugh.

"The Usui sparks are just here looking to have a little fun, we got roped into the ride along thing," the red haired leader of the team said with a laugh causing the other teams to laugh.

As the night progressed no one grew tired of the very excited birthday boy as they took him down or up the mountain. After the solos were done Mikio took his brother down the pass behind Reiko, Tatsuo and Gavin who put on a three way parallel drift show for Kitamura to watch.

"Couldn't you guys get into trouble for doing this?" Kit asked as he and Mikio made their way back to the summit of Mt. Akagi's pass.

"We're covered, our team physician and founder called in a couple favors and had the road closed for the night," Mikio said with a quiet chuckle.

"So think you figured out what your first car is going to be Kitamura-kun?" Gavin asked as the two brothers walked back over to the crowd, "You've been shown quite the selection from all the teams here, must be an FD right?"

"No way, it's going to be a GT-R, right kid?" Shou asked joining in on the joking around.

"What about a Lan-Evo like his big brother?" Mikio said pointing a thumb at the car he'd just parked.

"GUYS!" Kit shouted getting everyone's attention, "I've still got six years before I even think about taking my driving test. For now though it's an RX-8," he added, blushing as Reiko kissed him on the cheek.

"Watch out now Kitamura, I'm the jealous type," Gavin said with a half joking tone that caused the young boy to take a few steps back.

"Don't you worry about that big ole bully Kit-kun," Reiko said with a warm tone, "I'll keep you safe."

The rest of the evening went smoothly with Kitamura seemingly avoiding contact with Reiko whenever Gavin was close by even after the buzz cut blonde told him he was only kidding with him. It took Nika and Tatsuo promising to watch his back for the young man to lighten up and enjoy the party held in his honor.

"So Kit, can I throw a party or what?" Mikio asked as they headed back towards his apartment.

"Well it was certainly an interesting night," the black haired boy replied quietly.

"What's on your mind kiddo?" the bleach blonde said noticing his brother's unusual silence.

"I'm just wondering which car I will pick when the time comes."

"Don't forget that by the time you get your license that there will be a whole new list of cars to choose from," Mikio replied with a small smile on his lips, "But why did you pick the RX-8 tonight if you really didn't want one?"

"I don't know, I just blurted out one, I really didn't expect Reiko to kiss me for it," Kit said with a small blush remembering that event, "And I definitely didn't expect to get threatened by her boyfriend either."

"Kit, if Gavin had meant what he said about being the jealous type you probably wouldn't be riding home in one piece right now," Mikio said with a slight chuckle at the young boy's stunned expression, "I will admit though, his bite is worse than his bark," he added rubbing his jaw a bit.

"Mikio, how did you pick your Lan-Evo III?" the black haired young boy asked without looking away from his window.

"I fell in love with it, the way it drove, the way I felt in it and the way it looked, same could be said for my six here," The bleach blonde man said with a small chuckle while patting the steering wheel.

"How will I know the right car for me?"

"The same way I found my two, you fall in love with it when you see it, you fall deeper when you drive it and even further when you race it."


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

A week went by after Kitamura's birthday at the summit of Akagi. The Takahashi Racing Team drivers were training harder than before bumping the laps per driver up to fifty on the fun layout of the school's private track. Gavin was learning to keep his foot off the floor a little better and was falling off less in his last laps. Everyone was thankful that Ryosuke ordered the team's motor home become a permanent structure until close to the season's start so they could get some peaceful rest between sets.

Sometime during training on Thursday, Tatsuo received a text message from the leader of the Akina Street Kings to mediate a race between them and the 3R3s that were now calling Akagi their home course alongside the Blue Fire team. When Saturday came around Project GT showed up at the base of Akagi as requested by both teams involved in the race.

"So what exactly are we doing here?" Gavin asked a little confused by the request being made of him and his teammates.

"We just wanted an unbiased team at the base of the pass to call the winner," Shou Enomoto, leader of the Street Kings, replied leaning against his silver R32 while they continued to wait for the two drivers to reach the summit.

"So you call in retirees?" the buzz cut blonde asked with a chuckle, "Or was it you were calling in the pros?"

"I was calling in the favor you owe me, how's that sound?" the black haired man with a laugh of his own, "Look, all we're running is a downhill race, our S15 and the 3R3's R32."

"The racers have reached the summit and all corners have reported clear," a member of the Street Kings interrupted, "They're going to start the count soon."

The start was heard through the radios around both teams as the R32 pulled easily into the lead. Matsuda, the Street Kings' primary downhiller, seemed to be keeping up with the bright red machine with next to no effort through the first corners. As the two racers reached the halfway point Mikio's phone rang.

"Hello?" Mikio said wondering who would be calling him at such a late hour.

"Taniguchi-san, I need your help, the Emperors suffered a loss at Momiji to the Lightning team just a few minutes ago, that team is going to be in Irohazaka for a rematch next week," the voice on the phone replied.

"How did you lose at Momiji?" the bleach blonde asked sounding confounded as he stepped away from the crowd and his teammates.

"The leader pulled off something wicked, he drifted right over the lidless gutters," the voice answered sounding saddened by having to repeat it, "I'm sorry Taniguchi-san, when you gave me the team I told you I wouldn't underestimate any opponent, that's exactly what I've done tonight."

"It's alright, we all lose sometime, it's all about how you keep it from happening again now," Mikio replied with a slight chuckle, "Now why did you call me Satoshi-kun? I'm no longer a member of your team."

"I called to ask if you would take the race next week in our stead," Satoshi's voice replied quietly.

Mikio let out a long sigh and ended the call with a quick 'I'll let you know' before he walked back to the finish line. The racers were about three quarters of the way down the pass and Matsuda had taken the lead somewhere between the first and second sets of multiple s-turns. The race ended with Matsuda's S15 crossing the finish line a full two seconds ahead of the bright red R32. Gavin quickly declared Matsuda the winner of the race and the team spent a little time just catching up on the records before deciding it best to not stick around longer just to be safe.

During Monday's training session Mikio's times showed he was a little distracted as did his fumbling two of the driver change outs. After he'd changed back into his street clothes the bleach blonde was laying in one of the berths in the motor home thinking over the request his former teammate had made of him.

"Mr. Taniguchi, are you alright today?" Kyoko's voice broke through the man's thoughts.

"I've been better Kyoko-san," the man answered keeping his eyes closed.

"If you need to talk about it I'll be in the kitchen," the dirty blonde haired woman said with a kind tone. She didn't make it out of the sleeping area before Mikio spoke up.

"The Emperors asked me to take up a race for them in Irohazaka this Saturday," the blonde said with no hesitation, "I just don't know what to tell them since I'm not supposed to be racing in the mountains anymore, but I feel like I have to stand up for my team and my home course."

"I can't say I know the feeling of being torn between the written rules of a professional team and the unspoken rules of the mountain teams," Kyoko said taking a seat at the table near the berths, "But I do know what it feels like to want to stand up for my home course, so my recommendation is watch your back and try to stay under the radar if you take the race. If you don't, just try to break it to them nicely."

"I think I'm going to take it, just to see how I do in Iroha in a racing capacity after so long away from home," Mikio said just as Gavin walked through the door.

"Racing at Iroha for whom?" the buzz cut blonde asked as he walked through the room.

"The Emperors asked me to take up a rematch race with the Momiji Lightning team," Mikio answered not moving from his place in the berth while Kyoko made a quiet get away to the kitchen area of the motor home.

"Well, in that case the rest of us should go, just to see how you do in a race at your home course," Gavin said with a chuckle.

"I think it best you don't Reynolds-san, I don't want all of you getting in trouble on account of me," the bleach blonde said with a respectful tone that caused Gavin to stop just short of closing the door on the bedroom.

"How about the rest of the team makes up their own mind about going?" the buzz cut blonde said leaving his hand on the door and a hint of anger in his tone, "I'm going, you can't stop me, that point has already been proven once."

"You wouldn't go if I didn't take the race," Mikio said with a hint of his old smugness showing through.

"And your pride as a racer, both professional and as a mountain racer is screaming at you to take it, so why fight it?" Gavin asked stepping back into the main area of the motor home.

"He's got you there Mr. Taniguchi," Kyoko said with a short giggle as she returned from the kitchen, "Now eat something, you've both run almost two hundred laps throughout today."

A few days later Mikio was coming off the course after running his last fifty laps of the day as a red 1995 Honda Civic hatchback pulled into the parking area. The blonde didn't recognize the car so he continued his trek to the team's motor home. Once inside he fell into one of the chairs at the table to rest for a few minutes before hearing the door open again.

"Hello Mikio," A soft feminine voice said from behind him. Mikio turned to see which of his teammates may have come in but found someone he never expected to see again.

"Hello Izumi," the blonde said as politely as his shocked mind would allow.

The owner of the voice was a slender young woman standing a grand total of 5'4" tall with auburn hair down to the middle of her back. The young woman wore a simple summer dress and smelled of lilacs.

"What brings you here?" the bleach blonde added once he'd calmed himself enough to speak again.

"I talked to Satoshi-san, he told me he'd replaced you as the leader of the Emperors," the auburn haired young woman said looking to the floor, "He also told me you'd left the team entirely, rejoined the school and moved out here after I left."

"Yeah, been back a couple months now, what are you doing here?" Mikio said still sounding confounded.

"Just came to see if the attitude change he told me about was real or not," Izumi answered with a slightly bitter tone.

"Well as you can see it's pretty real, you're to thank for it too," the bleach blonde said pulling a chair out for the young woman.

"I can't believe that Mikio, we fought like wild animals last time we met," the brown eyed girl said taking a seat in the chair he'd moved for her.

"Well it was some of the things said during that fight that made me realize how much of an asshole I'd become over the last few years and it killed me to think just how much I'd hurt you and so many others in that time just because I had a big ego."

"So what, besides me that is, drove this miraculous change of heart?"

"My little brother, some of the friends I once had that would kill me if they saw me now, being the slowest in this class and two solid punches to the jaw," Mikio answered with a slight chuckle, "But the thing that popped the cork from the bottle was you walking out my door."

The two sat there in silence for a few minutes before the sound of the motor home's door opening and Gavin stepping through brought Mikio out of his thoughts.

"Mikio, next time you want to bring a girl to the track be sure to clear it with Keisuke-san first, he looks like he's ready to blow a gasket out there," the buzz cut blonde said without stopping.

"Guess we should clear that up then Izumi, I don't need my team managers pissed at me," Mikio said not hearing the chuckle from inside the room Gavin had stepped into.

As the two walked towards the stand where Keisuke and Takumi currently watched the two GT cars driving around the track, Izumi couldn't believe just how much Mikio had changed from the egocentric son of a bitch he once was back to the man she'd fallen for years before.

"Takahashi-san, I believe you've misunderstood this young woman's arrival at the track," Mikio said gaining Keisuke's attention, "She showed up at the request of the man that replaced me as the Emperors team leader."

"I didn't say anything about it, did I?" the spiky haired man asked with a confused look on his aging features.

"Gavin said you…." The bleach blonde stopped mid sentence figuring out what had happened, "I'm gonna kill that rat," he added with an angered tone as he started back for the motor home.

Just as the man reached the door Gavin stepped out with his racing suit tied around his waist and a grin on his face knowing what was about to come. Mikio only threw one swing which the buzz cut blonde grabbed and stopped mid flight.

"Mikio, it was only a joke, no need to go all wild and crazy over it," Gavin said calmly as he held the older man's fist, "Won't happen again, just needed a laugh and her arrival made it easy."

"You are such an asshole you know that?" Mikio said with a huff as he pulled his fist away from the buzz cut blonde's grip.

"Yup, but at least I'm better at it than you used to be," Gavin replied causing Izumi to let out a quiet giggle behind his teammate, "Now are you going to introduce me to this lady or am I going to do it myself?"

"Gavin Reynolds, NSX driver in GT500, this is Izumi Kaneko, my ex-fiancée," the bleach blonde said sending Gavin slightly off balance because of the shock.

"Well, nice to meet you Reynolds-san but I really must go," Izumi said turning her attention to Mikio, "I'll be at the race Saturday, you win and we'll talk about us."

Mikio didn't have a chance to respond before the auburn haired girl was in her EG6 and on her way out of the parking area. When his teammate asked what was going on, the bleach blonde man gave the short and sweet explanation of what had happened between the two and expressed his wish to get her back. Gavin quickly offered to help since he knew he'd be at the race with Reiko as part of a date he'd set up.

After the other team members came off the track Mikio called the new Emperors leader and officially accepted the rematch race with the Lightning team from Momiji Line. Nika and Tatsuo also decided to go and watch Mikio's first race in Irohazaka since rejoining Project GT.

As Saturday night rolled around Mikio sat waiting at the starting point of the downhill course at Irohazaka. He was sitting on the ground leaning back against the front of his Lan-Evo VI as he stared up into the star filled sky. The stocky blonde was brought out of his reverie by the sounds of two rotary engines moving through an area close by.

"You know, the hood is often the more comfortable place to sit and think," Gavin's voice said after the sounds of a few doors closing.

"I like the ground better," Mikio said getting to his feet, "You're earlier than I expected, Izumi has agreed to wait at the finish line, you're welcome to run the course till everyone else gets here."

"We've only got two cars tonight to keep a low profile, Nika and I will be at the base to watch the finish, Gavin and Reiko are going to stay up here till you hit the halfway point," Tatsuo said coolly as the others greeted their teammate.

"Anyway we can change that a little? Gavin volunteered to help me out a little with something while the race is ongoing, he can't do that from up here," the bleach blonde man said with a nervous chuckle as he scratched the back of his head.

"Okay then, we'll meet you at the bottom then," Gavin said with a chuckle as he and Reiko made their way back to his FD.

About an hour later everyone was waiting to see what the ex-leader of the Emperors team could do against the leader of the Momiji Lightning team and his 2005 Toyota MR-S.

"I understand you're not the current leader of the team we wanted to race tonight, why take up a race for them?" the W30's driver asked as he and Mikio got ready for their race.

"I used to lead this team, I came out of retirement from mountain racing for this race alone so I could avenge my old team's loss," the bleach blonde man said with a little of his old arrogance showing as he wrapped the headphone wire around the back of his neck.

"And the radio is for what exactly?" the leader of the Lightning team asked as Mikio placed the ear bud in his ear.

"Just a habit I've gotten into," Mikio answered climbing into his phoenix red Lan-Evo, the black haired man following his example.

"FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE…GO!" Tatsuo shouted just before the two cars flew past him.

Down the front straight Mikio allowed the electric blue W30 to take the lead before pinning the front bumper of his Lan-Evo against his opponent's tail. As they began the trek through the first hairpins Mikio allowed the gap to open just a little so he wouldn't run the W30 over.

"This is the fifth hairpin, the Lan-Evo looks to be backing off slightly," a woman said into her radio as the two cars passed by.

"Now why would Taniguchi want to do something like that?" Gavin asked quietly to no one in particular when he heard the report.

As the two cars flew through each hairpin Mikio was watching and waiting for the perfect moment to strike as he kept steadily increasing his pace to push the Lightning team's leader into any small mistake. He had to admit that he missed this feeling, the adrenaline coursing through his bloodstream surging each time they would clear a hairpin with the narrowest possible gap, but he also noticed his mind was much clearer than the last time he raced here.

"I'm going to win this," Mikio said just loud enough to be heard by the radio's microphone.

"Good, you're about halfway through so if you make your move now you're golden," Tatsuo's voice came through the earpiece with the drone of a rotary engine in the background.

The Lan-Evo closed what little gap had built up through the hairpins and struck at the halfway mark of the course. As he flew off one of the raised corners the bleach blonde held his breath till it was forced from him when the Lan-Evo landed safely in front of the W30 in a spray of sparks. The electric blue machine swerved slightly from the driver's shock at the sight.

"Holy shit that guy's crazy," the black haired man said as he regained some of his composure and began pushing the Lan-Evo VI that was now in front of him.

Down at the bottom of the course Gavin could only grin now that he'd figured out what Mikio had been doing at the start of the race.

"Okay Mikio, make sure you don't lose it now," the buzz cut blonde said with a slight chuckle as Reiko and Izumi started celebrating.

"I won't, we've still got a lot of hairpins and the bridges to cover, but damn it all to hell I'm motivated," Mikio laughed as the two cars flew through the hairpins.

The MR-S was keeping pace with the Lan-Evo VI that was leading the race, but its driver was becoming a little desperate knowing that if he didn't get out of the hairpins first he'd likely lose when the phoenix red machine had the power advantage. As they approached the last hairpin before the bridges the black haired man made a desperate move. He slammed hard on the brakes and slid into the final raised hairpin too early. As the car sailed through the air on a straightening line it continued to twist from the momentum before slamming hard onto its right side tires, blowing the rear shock causing the car skidded further sideways.

Mikio saw what was about to happen and pushed his Lan-Evo into the gap between the guardrail and the sliding electric blue machine.

"Sorry car," the bleach blonde man muttered as the W30's rear end smacked hard into the front end of his Lan-Evo, "That's twice I've done that to a car now, let's just hope he won't call foul."

"He shouldn't, you just saved his ass from being part of the guardrail or worse, a cliff floor," Gavin said after hearing what had happened.

Mikio took the opportunity that was provided and slid by the slowing electric blue machine as they approached the first bridge. The W30 proceeded to accelerate, its driver fighting through the last corners to keep it on the road and on Mikio's back bumper at the same time.

As they crossed the finish line, the Lan-Evo leading the way, the MR-S spun out because it came off the ground at the end of the third bridge and that damaged the car further before the line.

Gavin rushed to the car to make sure the driver was unharmed after two jumps in a busted car while Mikio parked his and went to talk with Izumi before any celebrations could take place.

"You said we'd talk if I won, well I won," Mikio said with a chuckle, "Look if you're willing, I'd like to ask for a second chance."

"Promise to stay the man you are now," Izumi said with a serious tone, "Promise me that you'll be the man I fell for three years ago."

"Mikio, if those are the terms, take them and get her back," Gavin's voice said with a chuckle through the earpiece Mikio forgot he was wearing.

The bleach blonde told his teammate to shut up and pulled the earpiece out of his ear before turning back to Izumi.

"I'll be better than I was then, you deserve better," the bleach blonde said as he hugged the auburn haired girl.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

The drivers of Project GT met up at a small diner near the school the night after Mikio's race against the leader of the Momiji Lightning team, Mikio having brought Izumi with him. Mikio explained that after the others had left the Lightning team's leader had apologized profusely for wrecking his Lan-Evo and that he had also accepted the defeat before the bridges but decided it better to put up a fight.

"So Izumi-chan brought you home last night?" Gavin said taking notice that it was her EG6 sitting in the parking area next to Reiko and Tatsuo's RX-8s.

"No, I limped home in the Lan-Evo, had it towed to a shop this morning since the damage looked worse in the daylight then it had last night," Mikio answered sounding a little hurt that his car was damaged.

"So what's the damage? I know that the quarter was beat up pretty good, but that's all I could see from where I was," Tatsuo said joining the discussion after having listened to Reiko, Nika and Izumi talking about shopping for a few minutes too long.

"The hood got pinched into the quarter panel's attaching points, they couldn't get the hood to open without a little beating, the front bumper was pretty much destroyed on that side and the rim was bent too according to the shop's balancing machine, well 'twisted' I think was the word he actually used," the bleach blonde man said still sounding like he was about to shed a tear or two, "But they're going to replace and repaint all the body parts, I've already got the new rim and a full set of tires and all the parts needed to replace all the suspension parts on that corner, so I'll be back on the road in a few days, a week tops."

"So Izumi-chan just tailed you to make sure you got home then?" Gavin asked sounding impressed at the girl's thoughtfulness.

"Well we had some things to talk about, the only reason she's here now is because she refused to let me call you to come get me since she had a perfectly good car in the parking lot, even explained to her that you'd have been more than happy to do so since I'm on your way into the school now," Mikio laughed as he replayed the image of Izumi shoving her keys into his chest just before they'd left the apartment.

"Well you aren't wrong, I would have picked you up and taken you to the school, but I'm betting you left out I don't actually like you that much," the buzz cut blonde replied drawing a laugh from all three men.

"Oh come on, at least we get along better than we used to," the bleach blonde man said as his laughter calmed.

"I don't have to like you to respect you Taniguchi," Gavin said with a small grin and barely contained laughter in his voice, "I just try to be civil to those I have respect for no matter how little that respect may be."

This drew another round of laughter from the three men and it also drew the attention of the three young women that had accompanied them. Since the diner was small the men were sitting at one table while the ladies sat at one directly across the small aisle.

"What are you boys laughing about over there?" Nika asked with a curious tone.

"Nothing," the three men said together sounding anything but innocent and drawing yet another round of laughter from them.

"We were just talking about the damages to Mikio's Lan-Evo," Gavin said once he was able to catch his breath.

"Mikio, I have a question," Izumi's voice broke through the silence that came after as everyone sipped their drinks while waiting for their food, "Why did you join the Takahashi Racing School?"

"I heard about a couple scouts running around Gunma and Tochigi, managed to track down where they were based. Since in my head I was the fastest around they needed me on their professional team, I didn't find out it was for a school till after it was too late but decided what the heck, maybe I'll teach them something," Mikio answered honestly knowing how stupid he'd sound, "After getting flattened by Gavin after our race in Akagi I guess I started thinking clearer."

"Well the night before that race I got pretty well slaughtered in Akina by a blue Impreza WRX and really wasn't in the mood to be called a cheater," Gavin answered with a slight chuckle at his teammates' shocked faces, "Wasn't till later that I found out it was Takumi-san's father coming off his tofu deliveries and that even he can't touch that car."

"Wait, you called him a cheater!?" Izumi nearly shouted in shock hearing such a thing about Mikio, "Why would you do that if he played fair?"

"Well at the time my mindset was 'If I'm not the fastest they're cheating somehow,' that's all," Mikio said scratching his head before turning his attention to Gavin, "I've been meaning to tell you that you cracked a tooth that night and I still feel it once in a while."

"Well at the time you deserved it, but I'm sorry about the tooth at least," Gavin said with a half evil grin, "Though be mindful, you turn back to your old self and I'll do it again."

Once they finished eating they all piled into the cars, Mikio taking the time to point out that Gavin was getting into the driver's seat of Reiko's harvest gold RX-8 while Nika and Tatsuo got into the Aztec gold one next to it. The buzz cut blonde explained that his FD had a flat tire and they were in a hurry before he drove off heading towards Myogi where they would meet with all the major Gunma street teams and the Emperors team for some rather important business.

"Mikio, why did you think the scouts you heard about were looking for drivers for a professional team?" Izumi asked once they were in her EG6 and well on their way.

"It was a snap judgment, all I actually overheard was 'scouts are looking for drivers' and I continued to think that way since no one corrected me while I asked around," the bleach blonde said as they started up Mt. Myogi's pass at a road legal speed considering it was only seven o'clock at night.

About thirty minutes later Myogi's summit parking area was crowded by a ton of street racing cars owned by several of the teams across Gunma. The leaders of each of the teams parked close to Project GT's drivers while the others seemed to just park wherever they wanted.

"So what did you call us all up here for? You guys already retired from street racing didn't you?" Shou Enomoto, leader of the Akina Street Kings and the team's secondary uphiller, asked as the other teams gathered around.

"We did, but we had a couple things that needed to be said," Gavin said turning to Nika who simply nodded.

"Makato Fujimoto, I've heard through other sources that you've held up to our end of the bargain we struck after we raced the first time," Nika paused to let it sink in a little "And since you've not actually called lately to get permission to race here you already know, but I'm just saying it out loud to make it official for the rest of the teams, Mt. Myogi belongs to the Night Wolves now."

The whole Night Wolves team gave a cheer before thanking her properly with a short bow, the only one who remained silent was Makato himself.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Makato said in a very respectful manner placing a hand to his chest and bowing low.

"There is one stipulation to this," Nika said making the man stand up quickly, "If I call sounding anything but calm, you go ahead and clear out, it's a courtesy call to keep you and yours out of danger."

"Yes ma'am," the black haired man replied only nodding his head this time and a smile on his face.

"Why did he call her 'Your Highness'? Does he like her or something?" Izumi asked just loud enough for Mikio to hear her. Her question went unanswered for the time as Tatsuo started towards the two teams running on Akagi.

"Alright, if you two can share the course and at least be civil, you can have full control over Akagi," Tatsuo said addressing the two leaders of the Akagi Blue Fire and 3R3 teams, "If not you'll be the next Night Wolves and you'll have to call me just to practice."

"We can share," the two men said with a nervous chuckle knowing what Nika had over the Night Wolves.

"Shou-san, you and yours have had my mountain a while now, do I really need to make it all legal?" Gavin asked with a laugh as he leaned against Reiko's SE3P.

"No need, we know you love us," Shou said causing everyone in the area to crack up.

"Satoshi-kun, you've been running the Emperors by running your decisions by me first," Mikio said once the laughter died out, "It's time for you to take over completely, it's YOUR team now so make it your own."

"Thank you Taniguchi-san," the brown haired man said with a deep bow.

"So I take you're out of the mountains for good then," the red haired leader of the Usui Sparks said with a slightly saddened tone.

"Yup, no more mountain racing for us unless we're blowing off steam, we're getting run pretty ragged at the training facility right now," Gavin answered with a quiet chuckle.

"Well, my team, and I'm sure the others here as well, thank you for helping us improve our times and techniques, I guess we'll only see you on TV from now on," the red haired man said drawing sounds of agreement from the crowd.

'_Not if I do what I plan to,'_ Makato thought with a small smile as he and the rest of the Night Wolves headed towards their cars to leave.

Once the crowd had cleared out, Tatsuo led the way down Myogi's pass while Mikio pushed Izumi's EG6 to follow the two SE3Ps in front of it. Izumi was screaming at him to slow down and stop abusing her car the whole way down the pass, but he just chuckled and pushed a little more, going nowhere near his own newly found limits since the poor little car would probably croak if he did.

A few days later Mikio and Izumi arrived at the school about ten minutes before the regular meet up time in Izumi's Civic. When they went into the building Fumihiro was sitting behind the reception desk working on something.

"Mikio-kun, you're early today, who's this fine young lady?" the black haired man asked politely as he came around the desk, "Did she come to watch you practice?"

"This is Izumi Kaneko, my girlfriend," Mikio replied with a wide smile while holding the auburn haired girl's hand, "To answer the second question yes and no, my Lan-Evo is ready to be picked up from the shop so she came along so we'd have a way to get her car back to my place after practice."

"Alright then, I'm Hiroshi Fumihiro, I'm the team's press officer and the manager here at the school," Fumihiro said with a kind smile turning his attention away from Mikio.

"A pleasure to meet you Sir," Izumi replied with a similar smile and a slight bow.

Once everyone arrived and changed into their fireproof suits Gavin helped strap Mikio into the GT300 ready RX-7.

"Alright Mikio, you know the rules no showing off for a pretty girl," the buzz cut blonde said with a chuckle, "Ten laps to warm up then pull it back."

"No problem, let's get started," Mikio replied, his voice muffled by his helmet as the FD's rotary engine sprang to life.

The tires of the FD spun wildly for a split second leaving a small cloud of white smoke behind it as it moved out of pit lane and onto the course. During his first ten laps Mikio managed to set a new track record for the FD, and Izumi cheered her head off when she found out as Mikio pulled back into pit lane. Gavin took off in the NSX setting another track record for the NSX as well during his first ten of the day.

Both cars were now on the track, the NSX having waited the usual five laps before starting to chase after the FD. Izumi watched the practice from the top of the monitoring station where Takumi and Keisuke guided the drivers and Kyoko and Wataru took notes. Izumi looked at one of the sheets that Kyoko was taking notes on and didn't understand any of what was written on the sheet but was afraid to distract her considering how much the dirty blonde haired woman had been writing. The auburn haired girl stood and climbed off the monitoring tower only to run into someone.

"I'm so sorry Sir, I didn't look when I came down," Izumi said as she helped the glasses wearing man pick up the things he'd dropped.

"It's quite alright young lady, accidents happen," the man replied with a smile, "You must be Izumi Kaneko, Taniguchi-kun's girlfriend."

"Yes Sir, but how did you know that?" the auburn haired girl asked with a shocked but polite tone.

"Not surprising in a place this small, you're the only face I don't know and as for knowing your name, Fumihiro told me this morning," the man said running a hand through his semi long black hair, "I'm Nobuhiko Akiyama, the GT300 strategist."

"Nice to meet you Sir," Izumi said with a short bow, "Maybe you can answer the questions I have."

"Ask away, I'll do my best."

"Well I saw Kyoko-san taking notes about track bars and aerodynamic adjustments, I'll never understand what those mean, but I am wondering why."

"Those notes allow the two main mechanics and our pit crews to adjust the car to each driver's preferences quickly so they can drive at their very fastest during the races," Nobuhiko said with a small chuckle at the slightly shocked face the young woman had on her face.

"You mean they go faster than they already are!?" Izumi asked with a shocked tone that matched her appearance.

"Right now, judging solely on the times I've seen from them before and a few other factors, Mikio and Gavin are running at about seventy five percent of their full abilities," The black haired man said with another small laugh as Izumi's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, "But on days like today, we'll see some serious rule and record breaking."

"What does that mean?" the auburn haired young woman asked nervously.

"You'll see," Nobuhiko replied with a chuckle as he continued on his way.

And see she did, each time a new driver took the cars out a new record of some kind was set, whether it be highest recorded speed, lowest personal lap times, lowest section times or overall track records. Izumi learned from Kyoko after the first sets were completed that they kept the records for lap times, section times and track records separate for each car because of the power differences.

"They'll be feeling this later," Keisuke chuckled just as Reiko moved the NSX back onto the track after a pit stop.

"It's their own fault, but with the records they've broken today I think they've earned a break," Takumi said getting a nod of agreement from everyone on top of the monitoring tower.

"Alright, Reiko-chan, Nika-chan finish your lap and get off the course, we're calling a team lunch," Kyoko said over a public channel while Keisuke went to the motor home to inform Mikio, Tatsuo and Gavin.

The whole team ate lunch together, getting to know Izumi a little better while she was at the track. Fumihiro called and had a whole bunch of different kinds of sushi delivered while the drivers cleaned up a little bit. Everyone gathered around the table in one of the smaller meeting rooms and started to dig in.

"So Izumi-chan, has your EG6 ever been used to race?" Gavin asked while picking out his next piece of sushi.

"What's an EG6?" Izumi asked also picking out another piece of sushi.

"Your Honda Civic is what he's talking about," Mikio supplied since Gavin had just stuck a piece of sushi in his mouth.

"No, I don't really care to drive at all, I only have the car because I need it to get to class," the auburn haired girl answered with an uncomfortable smile, "I said it was cute and that I'd like to have it for getting to class and Dad got it for me."

"Good a reason as any to get a car," Gavin said with a chuckle allowing the younger girl to lighten up a little as the group continued to eat.

"Is there a reason you don't like to drive?" Reiko asked with a genuinely curious tone.

"I've just got a bad sense of direction, if I haven't been there before I tend to get lost going somewhere and I almost never remember my GPS," Izumi answered honestly.

Once the sushi was gone Ryosuke ordered the drivers to a half hour uninterrupted rest in the motor home before they climbed back into the cars and continued their day's training and breaking records. After practice was finished for the day, Gavin stopped Mikio before he could get out of the motor home.

"I know you have to pick up your Lan-Evo from the shop, but I have a question and I want an honest answer," the buzz cut blonde said calmly as he gestured to one of the chairs, "Why am I the only one who knows Izumi-chan is your ex-fiancée? Cause she introduced herself as a friend of yours to Reiko at Irohazaka last week."

"Well, we weren't really even talking before that night is my reason for introducing her the way I did, why she said she was a friend, I don't know," Mikio answered taking a seat.

"Okay how about you give me the whole story? Since I offered to help I think you owe me that much at least," Gavin said taking a seat across the small table from his teammate.

"Well we met three years ago, we got along famously from the start, felt like we'd known each other forever, about six months after we started dating I asked her to marry me. It was also around that time that Seji Iwaki, a friend of an ex-friend and second in command of the old Emperors team, found out I was looking to start up a team and offered to help me find some talent," the bleach blonde man paused to let the information sink in and to take a breath.

"So what happened after the team was up and running?" the buzz cut blonde encouraged seeing the hesitation in Mikio's eyes.

"After the team was up and running I started to take a turn towards the dark side, I grew arrogant because we never lost, it never occurred to me that the teams we were facing were flat lousy. What was worse I grew to hate Izumi's constant trying to get me back to my old self, so we fought, a lot, and the last one was absolutely insane, she was rightfully pissed that I didn't come home one night, completely missing a date night in the process," Mikio flinched at the thought of what was to come, "I blew a gasket, I screamed at her that it wasn't her business what I did at night."

"That blew everything to bits I'd bet."

"You'd win that bet, two years ago she walked out of my front door in total silence and up until last week I hadn't seen or heard from her since," the bleach blonde answered, "When I joined the school the first time I was still pretty bad off, but even Satoshi will tell you I had calmed down a lot from before she left."

"Okay so what happened to start the bigger shift that all of us here have seen?"

"When you knocked me out at Akagi after our race I saw her face, kinda like a dream, she was crying while holding onto her mother, they were both dressed in black and sitting near a headstone, seems it was mine."

"Well you wanted her back, she's been staying with you here in Gunma, I've not heard about you two fighting at all and you've introduced her to the rest of the team as your girlfriend, so I guess you did get her back," Gavin said with a smirk, "Well done Taniguchi, if you hurt her, I'll hit you again if she tells me to."

"You've been waiting for a reason haven't you?" Mikio chuckled as the two men stood together and headed out of the small building. Gavin didn't reply.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

"Alright, over the last four months the staff has seen a great deal of improvement in your driving and you've all watched as the new course was built," Ryosuke said with a very small smile on his lips, "Starting tomorrow you're going to be cut back to twenty laps a piece and driving across both the old throttle course and the new course. Be well rested and ready because as you know the new course is made from corners of F1 courses all over the world."

"You had the privilege of driving the course on its own in some of the donated cars, but now you're going to be in the Super GT cars so I look forward to a record setting event tomorrow," Keisuke said with a smirk on his lips.

"Sir, if we're just starting on it we'll be setting the first records for the course won't we?" Gavin asked with a chuckle.

"Oh, go home and rest up," the spiky bleach blonde man said with a grumble.

The drivers of the Takahashi Racing Team met up at Uncle's diner a little bit later in the evening for dinner. Of course the man known as Uncle was pleased to have the business of Tatsuo and his friends, even taking their picture together for a wall of famous folks behind the counter.

"Uncle, we're not famous yet so you can't hang that up there," Tatsuo said with a laugh as the man hung the Polaroid with some of the other pictures.

"But you will be, so I'm just getting a jump on the game," Uncle replied with a laugh of his own before he returned to the kitchen to fix their food.

"Izumi, I still can't believe you accepted Mikio's proposal last month," Reiko said with an excited tone as she looked at the ring on the auburn haired woman's finger again, "You'd only been back together three months after all."

"Reiko-san, we were together for nearly a year before we broke up, I'm just glad he decided to get back to who he used to be," Izumi answered holding onto Mikio's arm affectionately.

"And don't forget that Tatsuo moved in with Nika two months ago, pretty big step for them," Mikio said with a chuckle.

"Or that you've been spending more of your own nights at my place the last few months Reiko," Gavin said with a smirk that made Reiko turn red as a tomato.

"You know, I think I want to go to Akagi later, just to stargaze or something," the curly black haired girl said trying to change the subject quickly, causing everyone to chuckle.

Tatsuo's phone rang in his pocket so he stepped out thinking it might be something important since Shou Enomoto of the Akina Street Kings was calling him.

"What's up Shou-san?" the black haired man said with a concerned tone as he leaned against his Aztec Gold Mazda RX-8.

"Hey Tatsuo-kun, I've got a huge favor to ask on behalf of the teams of Gunma, it involves Project GT," Shou's voice answered laced with badly masked concern.

"We don't race in the mountains anymore Shou-san, you know that."

"I know, but there's this new team in town from Saitama, they took us all man, 3R3's pissed and so are some of the Night Wolves, I was elected to call and ask."

"How did the races go down?" Tatsuo asked knowing he might regret it.

"Blue Fire and the Sparks got waxed first, they knew it was coming and are willing to let it lie, the 3R3 finished within a nose to their claimed worst driver and, as I said, are severely pissed about it; Makato of the Night Wolves pulled his downhill into a second round before he lost, Matsuda-san took a third but spun out about halfway down," Shou said with a disheartened tone, "Our egos are bruised and we want a little retribution, if there's anyone out there that can beat these guys it's you and your teammates."

"I'll let you know before the week is out, but I'd start getting ready to take the rematches yourselves if I were you guys," Tatsuo replied seriously, "I doubt we'll be there this time to cover you guys."

"Makato-san, Matsuda-san, Takako and I will understand completely if you don't, this whole idea was against our wishes," Shou's voice replied still sounding a little down.

"Hey, we all lose sometime, I'm eating dinner with the team now, I'll try and sneak it into the conversation," Tatsuo said with what he hoped was a comforting tone before hanging up the phone and walking back into the diner.

When the black haired man returned to the table he explained the whole situation and told his teammates they had a while to think about it before a definite answer was needed.

"Tatsuo-san, I know I'm not part of the team and my opinion probably means very little to you, but it sounds like a bad idea to me," Izumi said in a somewhat cautious tone.

"I have to agree, though probably for a different reason than Izumi, we can't keep cleaning up their messes for them," Gavin said calmly.

"I think I'll take the time to think it over," Nika said drawing them all into silence for a while.

Before they left the diner Uncle took a few more pictures of them all with a better camera so they could be signed by each of them and then framed to go on the wall. Mikio, Reiko, Nika and Tatsuo were all too happy to oblige, Gavin was beginning to fear night blindness from all the flashes.

"You know we'll have to come back to sign the thing and he'll want to take more so he has one to put over the booth too," Nika laughed as they walked towards their cars.

"I'm almost afraid to come back at all, I can't half see with all the pictures he took tonight," Gavin said with a similar chuckle, "Let's get to Akagi for a little fun since we've all got our cars here."

"Why did you bring all your cars? Half of us are going to end up at the other half's houses at the end of the night," Izumi asked just before everyone got the doors closed.

"Gavin, you can explain it, we'll meet you at Akagi," Tatsuo said with a mischievous laugh just before driving off followed by everyone but Mikio, whom Izumi would be riding with.

"Sometimes we all just like to drive our own cars," Gavin answered with a shrug, "Personally I just want to spend an hour or so making the mountain scream."

The buzz cut blonde jumped into his toreador red FD and started off towards the pass before Izumi could question him further. The auburn haired young woman jumped away as he drove past her at a rather close range before she jumped into Mikio's phoenix red Lan-Evo VI and told him to chase the RX-7. Mikio only chuckled and drove to Akagi as close to the FD as he managed to get.

When they got to the mountain the other four drivers started putting on a bit of a show. Leading the way was Reiko's harvest Gold RX-8 drifting along the uphill corners in almost a carefree manner as it slid off the best lines but never came close to the guardrails. Nika's pearl blue 350Z was next in line following in almost perfect parallel with the SE3P's every drift. The 20B of Gavin's FD was simply following the leading pair on its own lines and letting power make up the difference.

Tatsuo's own Aztec Gold SE3P was sitting back and watching the FD drifting through the corners with the same carefree attitude of his sister's. Mikio was solidly pinned to the second SE3P, paralleling it through the corners. Izumi was holding onto whatever she could in the Lan-Evo's passenger seat to fight the g-forces, occasionally clasping a hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming whenever Mikio would let the Lan-Evo get within a foot of the Aztec Gold machine on the right hand corners.

Once they got to the summit Izumi jumped out of Mikio's car before he started a downhill run behind Reiko and Nika. Tatsuo turned up his radio leaving the doors open so it could be heard while Gavin parked his FD's nose nearly against the SE3P before climbing out of it. The two men started looking at something under the hood of the Aztec Gold machine using the headlights to see.

"Tatsuo-san, why are the others going back onto the mountain? I thought Reiko-san only wanted to stargaze," Izumi asked approaching the two cars.

"Her version of stargazing is watching them fly by at high speed Izumi," Gavin answered not seeing her shiver at the cold, "And how many times must we ask you to drop the honorifics from our names? You're engaged to our teammate and you're still calling us with them."

"I've never felt comfortable leaving them off is all Gavin-san," the auburn haired girl said firmly leaning against the FD just over one of the headlights.

"If you want to sit on my car that's fine, but do you mind not sitting on the headlight?" Gavin asked without looking back.

Izumi immediately moved off the headlight and began listening to the familiar music from a band she knew play through Tatsuo's stereo system. There was something different about it though, like it was being played by the wrong instruments. She noticed that there weren't any words to the music where there should have been and there were no drums playing either.

It was almost half an hour later when everyone settled into the summit parking area and Reiko asked her brother to play something pretty enough for dancing to. When the black haired man finally picked out what he thought his sister meant he stepped out of his car and took Nika's hand just as the music started. Izumi noticed that Gavin and Reiko were dancing together as well.

"May I have this dance?" Mikio asked with his hand out and a deep bow.

"Certainly Sir," Izumi giggled as they too joined the others dancing slowly around the area.

When the music stopped Tatsuo skipped a few tracks before letting the music resume. It was another slow beautiful piece of music with what sounded like an entire string orchestra behind a single cellist. Izumi was too fascinated with this piece of music to let her curiosity go unanswered and chose to listen more closely rather than keep dancing like the others.

"Umm, Tatsuo-san, which orchestra played this symphony and who wrote the symphony?" Izumi asked as the music continued.

"It's Beethoven if I remember correctly, but that's no orchestra playing it," Gavin answered with a slight chuckle as he and Reiko continued to dance slowly.

"That's my brother's playing, his electric cello lets him basically build an entire string orchestra on his computer," Reiko answered after the music stopped and Tatsuo turned off his radio, "And as you can see, he's quite talented."

"You brag on me too much dear sister, but I like it so please keep going," Tatsuo said drawing a laugh from everyone.

"Do you have anything I could take home with me?" Izumi asked sounding hopeful.

"I don't keep any of my own music in the car, most of what I have with me is written by other people and replayed by me," the black haired man answered with a nervous chuckle, "I can have something for you tomorrow though."

"Tatsuo, I think you've just gained your first fan outside of family," Gavin said with a wide grin on his face.

"Well I would say something about you not being family, but I do think of you as a brother so I'll leave it alone," Tatsuo said with a grin of his own.

After that Reiko said she was going to take the downhill at a racing pace before going on to Gavin's apartment for the night. Nika and Tatsuo followed her before turning towards their own apartment at the base, leaving Gavin, Mikio and Izumi in the summit parking lot.

"Mikio, why don't you go ahead on down? I have something I want to ask Gavin-san," Izumi said with a slightly uneasy tone, "I'm sure he won't mind bringing me down with him."

Mikio simply shrugged and climbed in his car and took off towards the lower parking lot at a high pace.

"Okay, so what is it you wanted to ask me?" Gavin asked with a serious tone as he leaned against the FD.

"I want to get a new car, something with a built in GPS so I can drive myself and not have to worry about getting lost or forgetting my GPS," Izumi replied dodging the question momentarily, "I want to learn how to drive a manual transmission so the list I can look into will be larger."

"And you're asking me to teach you," The buzz cut blonde said with a raised eyebrow, "Why not ask Mikio? I'm sure he'd be happy to."

"I know he'd gladly teach me, but I'm worried that I would be too distracted or jumpy out of fear of disappointing him to learn properly," the auburn haired young woman said with a shy tone, "With you being a tutor before this I know you'll have the patience to teach me even with mistakes and I'll gladly pay your tutoring fees for the lessons Gavin-san."

Gavin went silent for a few minutes while he thought things over. He found he would be more comfortable doing something like this behind Mikio's back if it wasn't the older man's future wife he was doing it with.

"Alright, but if I do agree to do this Mikio knows about it from the very start and he has to be okay with it too, I don't want to have to lay him out again for something that's not even true," the buzz cut blonde said with a small smile on his lips, "And just for future reference Izumi, I doubt very seriously you could disappoint him with all he put you through before."

Izumi started jumping around acting like a little kid in a toy store making Gavin chuckle quietly as he watched on having never seen this side of the normally very proper auburn haired young woman. When the pair reached the bottom Izumi explained everything and even though he was a little hurt by the idea Mikio agreed to let Gavin teach her to drive a stick shift and to her paying him for the lessons. The three returned to their respective homes and turned in for the night.

The next day moved slowly as Gavin and Tatsuo made their way around both the new F1 inspired course and the throttle course. Gavin felt out of place on the new course now that it was part of the other course rather than its own course, and Tatsuo was feeling the same way.

"Okay you two, you're getting ready to finish your first sets, Reiko and Nika will be taking the wheels," Kyoko said over the public channel.

The two men gave short replies as they re-entered the throttle course and really started picking up their speeds. When the two finished their sets they strapped the two girls in and gave them any tips they might need to go faster than they had, as well as listing a few places to watch out for.

As the two girls set out on their ways Nika was leading the way out of the boxes and all the way through the first corner of the school's main course before Reiko passed her on the outside. As the two cars flew through the long s-turns the gap grew as both engines screamed to their peaks. When the two cars reached the departing track off the throttle course's long loop, the NSX seemed to let off before entering the left hand hairpin of the new course.

The FD and the NSX were almost glued together as they cleared the next sharp left and right hand corners based on the Piscine corners at Monaco. The gap only opened a little before the ninety degree right hand corner allowed it to close again. The gap opened only slightly as the two flew through a straight section.

"Reiko, either get on it or get off the track," Keisuke said in a reprimanding tone as the two cars came into the next corners, a right hander leading into a left hand u-turn based on the Nürburgring's third corner still pinned together.

As the two cars came around the long right hander leading to the new course's start finish line the NSX seemed to get some wind in its sails and reopened the gap all the way through the F1 course's official first corner, a long right hander. Once they entered the five s-curves based on the Suzuka circuit the gap stopped growing until the NSX came out and cleared the left to right corners based on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit's eighteenth and nineteenth corners. The two engines once again screamed to their peaks through the long back straight leading into a tight right, left, right combination based on the Fuji circuit's Dunlop corner, this set was the only one not based on an F1 circuit.

When the NSX came out of the set its racing engine seemed to once again gain new life as it powered through the long right hand stretch before it slowed to clear the tighter right handed loop and left hand hairpin based on the course at Shanghai. The FD cleared the same corners only a few moments later and the engine once against screamed to its peak as it futilely tried to catch the NSX. The red and Gold machine cleared a second making of the chicane corners from Belgium and flew along the longest straight of the course that also led to the detaching road that would take them back into the throttle course's huge left handed u-turn after the big loop.

When the day rounded out the drivers' lap times had only marginally improved and Mikio's times showed the same hesitation as the other four drivers. Gavin and Izumi stayed trackside to talk to the staff about his teaching her to drive while everyone else went to change into their street clothes.

"Takahashi-san, I'd like to request the use of the donated S15 to teach Izumi-chan to drive a manual transmission Sir," the buzz cut blonde said in a respectful tone. They watched the spiky bleach blonde's face go from shocked to angry in a short moment.

"Let me get this straight. You're asking me to take one of our trainers, which are specifically reserved for staff and students, and let a guest drive it?" Keisuke asked with a rather harsh tone.

"Sir, we just don't have any suitable training cars among our own," Gavin replied with the same respect in his tone seeming unaffected by his team manager's tone, "Crandon-san said that the S15 was the only right hand car in the bunch, it has a lower power rating than many of the others and the clutch is rather forgiving, a perfect car to learn in Sir."

"So is it that you don't have suitable cars? Or is it just that you guys don't want her driving them?" the spiky bleach blonde man said with a small smirk on his lips.

"I would gladly teach her in one of ours, but with the racing modifications to all of them they could easily get away from her," the buzz cut blonde replied, "It won't take away from practice time at all, since we're only going to be doing anything during our days off."

"Alright, but she stays on the track with it and she will have someone riding along with her until I say it's okay for her to go without. I don't want to have to explain why someone crashed the car before the school opened and I most certainly don't want to explain it to David's wife," Keisuke said sounding almost scared of the idea, "When did you want her first lesson to be?"

"Probably at the end of this week, I'm still licking my wounds from today's times, I want to kick that track's ass before I start letting my ego take over her lessons," Gavin replied with a smirk as he pointed towards the F1 based track.

"Alright, your first day off is Friday, so make what's left of the week count if you want to tame that track," the spiky bleach blonde replied with a smirk of his own.

The rest of the week moved at a fair pace, the first game of "who's faster" among the students took place on Wednesday as Gavin set the first proper course record for the NSX and everyone was dragged into the loop. Izumi was impressed by the sheer speed at which everyone seemed to move that day; even the pit crew seemed to be going at full speed.

"Now this is what I want to see from you once Gavin's through teaching you Kaneko-chan," Keisuke said with a half joking tone showing her the lap times of the NSX.

The spiky bleach blonde man could only snigger at the auburn haired girl's reaction as she went bug eyed and started waving her hands in front of her. Kyoko punched her husband in the arm making him instantly regret the joke.

"Kaneko-chan, we all know that you couldn't hit those times without some real time behind the wheel," the dirty blonde haired woman said in a comforting tone, "We'll explain what you should be trying for at a more appropriate time."

On Friday Gavin met Izumi at the school's main track for her first driving lesson. Mikio and Reiko came along as support for the 22 year old young woman. The S15 sat waiting in the pit box with the keys in the glove box as agreed to by Gavin and Keisuke earlier in the week.

Izumi and Gavin climbed into the car, and while they strapped in Reiko helped Izumi adjust the four point harness to fit her properly. Once things were settled and the car sat quietly in the pit box Gavin began talking about how to start the car. Shortly after the car's single turbo engine sprang to life and the car sat idling in the pit box for a moment before it lurched forward a couple feet and stalled.

"What did I do wrong?" Izumi asked still holding the steering wheel rather tight.

"You let the clutch out a little too fast and didn't give it enough gas, that's all," Gavin said with a smooth tone, "Start it up and give it another go."

This time the car made it to the end of the pit lane and stalled out when she went to shift gears into second. Gavin was extraordinarily patient as Izumi figured he would be as the S15 made its way around the longest layout of the main course at a slow crawl after three more tries to actually get onto the course. Gavin was continuously explaining what needed to be done to maintain control of the car through the corners and the auburn haired girl was slowly gaining confidence.

"Okay, let's try at traffic speeds this lap," Gavin said as they approached the start line of the course.

Izumi pressed the accelerator a little closer to the floor, gaining enough speed and then trying to maintain it.

"Okay, the process is the same from the last lap, just a little faster," the buzz cut blonde said as they came to the first turn.

Izumi made about five laps at a normal road going pace before Gavin suggested they get up to a highway pace for the longer portions. The auburn haired girl complied and eased the car towards the higher numbers on the gauge.

"You learn fast Izumi, maybe later I'll show you what this thing can really do," Gavin said with a smirk as the bright orange S15 made its way around the course for the tenth time, "But now is the hard part, parking the thing between those two cars."

Gavin was now pointing at the fact that Reiko had moved his FD to the pit box in front of the one they had started in and Mikio had moved his Lan-Evo VI into the one behind it. Once they were in pit lane Izumi stopped the S15 in the proper place to park between the two cars by backing into the spot. She managed to get the car into reverse without stalling it out and then parked beautifully between the two cars.

"Well done Izumi-chan, I was about to say something about getting into reverse but it seems you found the lockout without having to be told about it," Gavin said once the two were getting ready to get out of the car.

"I'm not sure this car has whatever that is, I didn't have any problem getting it into reverse," Izumi replied drawing a confused look from Reiko who was helping her get the four point harness off.

"Basically it keeps the car from going into reverse while going from first to second, usually you just push down on the shifter and that lets it go in," Gavin said with a smile, "And with the way you were holding the shifter it's likely you didn't even notice you were pushing down on it."

He took her hand and wrapped it around the shifter's base and pulled against the point where it would move to go into reverse and she felt it not wanting to go in. The auburn haired young woman nodded and got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side as Gavin made his way to the driver's door.

"Izumi, what exactly are you doing?" the buzz cut blonde asked as the younger woman put her foot into the car.

"You said you'd show me what this car could really do, so why not now?" Izumi asked with a carefree tone.

"And here I thought you weren't interested in racing," Mikio said with a smirk.

Gavin only shrugged and jumped into the driver's seat and fired the engine as he waited for Mikio's fiancée to get strapped in properly before he moved out of the pit box and started the short dash to the main track. Mikio was not the only one worried as the car flew around the corners with Gavin in full show off mode, sliding around each of the corners at the steepest safe angle. Izumi looked a little more than freaked out as he half carried her from the garage area where the donated cars and the second set of GT cars were parked.

"Come on man, did you really have to go that fast?" Mikio asked as he set Izumi in the passenger seat of his car.

"She wanted to see the full potential, so I gave her what I could of it," Gavin replied with a nervous chuckle, "I honestly didn't expect her to freak out that badly."

"She freaks out every time I drift up or down a mountain, but since she knows it's coming I think she's gotten used to bracing for it," the bleach blonde man said with a small look of relief as Izumi started to breathe a little more normally, "But you went and did it without warning her," he added turning his attention back towards Gavin.

"Sorry again," the buzz cut blonde said solemnly before motioning for his teammate to follow.

Once the two were back into the garage where the school's trainer cars were stored Gavin stopped and let Mikio come up next to him as he just stared at the cars.

"Mikio, you start driving her EG6 for a while, just to let her practice in your Lan-Evo until next week when we'll get her onto the braking course," the buzz cut blonde said pulling at the dog tags around his neck a little.

"You couldn't say this in front of them…why?" Mikio asked as he looked at his younger teammate.

"No reason really, just wanted to come look at the cars again, plus I do want to ask that you continue to encourage her by letting her drive your car more with you riding shotgun. I think she'll get a little more confident with a car she can drive on the road and still learn at the same time," Gavin said seriously.

"Well okay then, I'll do what I can, but know this: if she says I'm driving, I'm driving," Mikio said with a small chuckle, "Can't back out of it."

"I know the feeling, you noticed I've been letting Reiko drive my FD for a while now, but she's shoved the keys back into my chest more than once," the buzz cut blonde said with a chuckle of his own.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

As Saturday night rolled around the major mountain teams of Gunma met at Mt. Akagi's summit parking area to await Project GT's final decision about racing the Saitama team. It was going on eleven o'clock when Shou Enomoto's phone rang, breaking the almost deadly quiet that had befallen the parking area.

"What's the verdict Tatsuo-san?" the tall black haired man asked stepping away from the huge crowd.

"We aren't coming, four against two was the final tally," Tatsuo's voice replied through the phone.

"I understand, we hope you'll be at the races when they happen though," Shou replied with a short chuckle.

"We'll have to wait and see about that, but we did come up with something you can try if everyone is willing," the man's voice said sounding a little happier.

The other people in the parking area waited with bated breath as Shou continued to hear out what Project GT had come up with and the major reasons they wouldn't be coming. When he returned to the crowd his shoulders were back with his head held high, giving everyone a sense of hope that GT would be coming.

"They aren't coming, but…" the black haired man was cut off before being able to finish his statement.

"Damn it, don't they have any honor for the street racer's code left in them!?" the dark red haired leader of the 3R3 team shouted making most of the parking lot flinch.

"They told us point blank over four months ago that they were retiring from the streets and you were there to hear it so don't start that shit!" Shou shouted back in response.

"Not to mention the risk they'd be taking is even higher now that they're licensed by the FIA to race in the next Super GT season!" Makato of the Night Wolves yelled as well.

"That shouldn't matter to them, they were street racers first and their mountains just got overrun by an outside team!" the 3R3 leader shouted back angrily.

As the yelling continued for several minutes the remaining Street Kings and Night Wolves members were seeing their leaders' points of view more and more, most even starting to agree with them. Takako and Matsuda were simply trying to keep the three leaders from coming to blows while the leaders of Akagi's Blue Fire team and the Usui Sparks didn't completely understand why they were arguing about something they couldn't change.

"All of you shut the fuck up! All this yelling isn't going to do any of us any fucking good!" Takako shouted silencing all three of the men at once, "Now, Shou you were on the phone too long to get a straight no from them, what did they suggest we do?" the black haired woman asked in a lower tone.

"They suggested that, if everyone here is willing, we hold a tournament to find the fastest drivers for the uphill and downhill and challenge the Saitama team with just those two drivers," Shou replied seriously after taking a couple of much needed calming breaths.

"I think that's a pretty lousy idea," the red haired leader of the 3R3 team said with anger still in his tone, "Especially from a bunch of cowards."

The other two members of the GT-R only team nodded their agreement with their leader as he spoke.

"You do it your way then, everyone but you and yours seem to like the idea," Makato replied calmly before adding with a more threatening tone, "And if you ever call Project GT cowards again I will lay you flat on your back before you can think of reacting."

The three GT-Rs belonging to the 3R3 team tore out of the parking area at breakneck speeds. Shou asked that each team at least practice until the brackets for the tournament were being made up. Every single car in the area made at least three runs up or down the Akagi pass before leaving for the night.

When Monday came around the call went out that the brackets for the tournament were completed and that the event would be held across all of the mountains starting in Akagi that night. When they met at the mountains they went over the major rules and that they would take the whole week to complete the tournament by running as many races as they could in one night. As the brackets got smaller this would obviously become an easier task at the other mountains. The races would alternate starting with the downhill to keep things moving as much as possible.

Makato and Matsuda were at opposite ends of the downhill bracket so they chose to take their races first so they could go to another mountain and practice together, both walking away victorious rather easily. More than half the drivers that raced, both uphillers and downhillers, that night followed the two men's example and went to other mountains to practice while the races were still going on.

When the downhill half of the bracket was finished for the night the Usui Sparks leader was the only member from his team that remained in that half of the tournament and none of the races went beyond one round. On the uphill side several of the Akagi Blue Fires made it to round two with Shou and Takako of the Street Kings and two of the Usui Sparks. Makato and Matsuda returned to Akagi while the last uphill race was in progress, Matsuda quickly leaving seeing that he needed to be at work before too long.

"I don't want to count the number of races we just ran, but we need to get out of here now," Takako said seeing the sun start to come up over the mountain road.

"Agreed, the victors of tonight's races will meet at Akina tomorrow for the next round," Shou said before climbing into his silver R32.

"Before you go Shou, one of the guys from 3R3 called me and said they'd be racing here Wednesday night, maybe we should be here for that," Makato said stepping next to the car's open window, "Just to see how they do I mean."

"I'm sure by then we can have a break from the tournament to go see that," Shou said with a chuckle, "See you tonight."

With that the silver R32 drove off with Takako's R34 close behind it. Makato got on the phone and started calling the leaders of the other teams and his own teammates about the change in plans for Wednesday and the location of the next tournament round before going back to Myogi to practice more.

The second night of the tournament went smoother than the first since the rules were explained the night before and they started earlier in the night. Makato and Matsuda once again ran their races at the beginning of the night before running off to Mt. Usui to practice there for the night. The remaining members of the Usui Sparks returned there after getting eliminated from the uphill bracket leaving their leader as the only member of the team still in the tournament at all by the end of the night.

The Akagi Blue Fire team was eliminated completely from the tournament by the members of both the Night Wolves and the Street Kings; the only remaining downhiller of the bunch was eliminated by the Usui Sparks leader in the last downhill of the night. Once again the races ran till nearly sun up, this time Shou called all the leaders to tell them that the next round would be in Myogi. A few of the Street Kings complained about home course advantage, but were quickly silenced when Shou pointed out they had just run their own home course the entire night.

When they gathered for the 3R3 race at Akagi that night everyone was in a better mood than the last time they came to a race against the team from Saitama. The teams were working together to find their very best drivers to send against them and hopes were high that they would win, even if the 3R3 lost again. The 3R3 sent their R33 up against the Saitama team's second in command that drove an older FC for the uphill race. Once the go was given both cars took off, the FC much faster than anyone really thought possible.

At the summit Takako and Matsuda were standing near the leaders of the Usui Sparks and Akagi Blue Fire teams and a few of their teammates.

"So Sparky, how does it feel to be the only one of your team left in the tournament?" Takako asked, giggling slightly when the leader of the Usui Sparks looked angrily at her.

"It's actually not so bad, I'm a little surprised I've made it this far to be honest but my next race is against your teammate here, so I think I'm going to be out of it this go round," the dark red haired man answered once he realized she was teasing him about his team's name.

"You might not be, we're at Myogi tomorrow remember? Neither of you will have the home course advantage," the leader of the Blue Fire team, a long black haired man stated, "Might just be you make it through this thing."

"He's right, never know till you get there," Matsuda said with a chuckle.

At the base the reports of the last stretch of the uphill were ringing through the radios. The reports also mentioned that the R33 was still close on the tail of the FC which somehow had gotten by around the halfway mark.

"Hey Shou, do you think anyone would mind me shelling out for three vans with tools, parts and tires for the winning two drivers?" Makato of the Night Wolves asked seriously leaning against the R32's hood next to its owner.

"I would, I can't let you do that without at least trying to stop you," Shou replied seriously, "That's a lot of money, are you sure that you want to do that for two people you might not even know?"

"You and I both know that Matsuda-san and I have the best odds of winning the downhill portion of this thing, more likely him but still, this would give whoever wins the biggest chance of winning against the Saitama team because it means they can practice more and not have to worry about the money of it all," Makato replied just as seriously, "Besides, I'd only rent the tools and vans, the parts can be returned and the wheels and tires we don't use I have no problem just giving them to the drivers, so no big deal to me."

"Alright, if you're sure you want to do it, I've got neither right nor reason to stop you," the black haired man said with a chuckle.

"Good, because I've already arranged everything, just need to see who wins for the tires, rims and parts," the leader of the Night Wolves said with a laugh as he slapped Shou on the back.

"You're a lunatic, did you know that?" the Street Kings leader replied with a laugh of his own.

"It's a popular theory," Makato replied still laughing.

The 3R3 lost the uphill by a shorter distance than before and the downhill was very well fought and was believed to be a victory until the R32 slid off its line coming out of the final corner allowing the Saitama driver to move along the inside and just nose out the win yet again. All of the members of the 3R3 were furious at themselves for having lost yet again until hearing compliments from both of the Saitama drivers on their improvements and congratulations on two well fought battles, which was way more than they received after their first battle with the team.

During the next day each of the remaining tournament participants were either tuning their cars or having work done to make sure they won their race. Makato and Matsuda half knew already they would be facing off together in Usui pass the following night but were too cautious to say anything. Makato had raced nearly every downhiller in Gunma outside of the tournament to pick up new tricks and listen to any tips he might try and he knew that at the very least he'd give Matsuda one hell of a fight if he couldn't win.

Shou was unable to practice for his races the same as some of his teammates because of his work and he knew that it might hurt him in the long run but it couldn't be helped. Takako spent her day doing her work at one of the garages close to her home so she couldn't practice or tune her car either, though she was confident that it would hold up just a little while longer.

The night passed quickly and the results were almost expected as Matsuda of the Akina Street Kings and Makato Fujimoto, leader of the Mt. Myogi Night Wolves, were facing off for the downhill. The Usui Sparks leader had managed to draw his race into a second round somehow before losing out to Matsuda because of his tires, while Makato's opponent had barely put up a fight knowing he'd lose anyway, which to everyone's surprise, Makato accepted and let it drop.

On the uphill Shou and Takako were, also rather unsurprisingly, the victors of their races facing them off for the final uphill battle. Shou, in the presence of all three of the other participating teams, forfeited the next uphill race to his R34 driving teammate.

"Why would you forfeit to her?" Makato asked once the other teams cleared out of Myogi's pass.

"Because she's a better uphiller than I am," Shou replied with an uncaring tone, "Yeah, I'm good, but I never expected to make it into a race with her."

"Then, why did you race against the Saitama team two weeks ago?" the leader of the Night Wolves asked completely confused by the switch.

"I have this little itch in the back of my head that says 'race the new comers', I usually listen to it," the Street Kings leader said with a half nervous laugh, "You best be ready for your race against Matsuda-san tomorrow, he's out for blood after the Sparks leader managed a second round against him."

"I can imagine. I didn't realize that guy was so good until tonight."

"Oh it took Matsuda-san by surprise too, it kinda makes me wonder about the rest of the Sparks though, like if they've improved as much as their leader has."

"I don't doubt they have, I heard that for almost a week they were training with Project GT in Usui's pass before some race of theirs, before GT retired that is."

"We'll see you in Usui tomorrow night then," Shou said with a friendly smile before climbing into his R32 and driving out.

The next day moved slowly for everyone, including Mikio Taniguchi who was doing a little car shopping with his fiancée Izumi after she'd started learning how to drive stick shift. She was dead set on having the GPS built in, she was also a little fussy about the color, but the rest didn't really matter. As the pair pulled into the third dealership of the day they were greeted by a very friendly man who was ready to answer any questions they might have had. He showed them a few cars and Izumi fell in love with a 2008 Toyota Aristo painted in Mercury metallic silver, with light grey leather interior.

"You certainly have expensive tastes young lady," the salesman said with a smile, "The engine in this one is a 3.5 liter V6, it's all wheel drive so it will be good in the snow with the right tires and as requested it's got the navigation option."

"Mikio, I want this one," Izumi said from behind the wheel of the car wearing a wide smile.

"Let's take it for a spin first, after all we're both going to be driving during the season next year," the bleach blonde man replied with a chuckle, "Besides you're driving my Lan-Evo for practice so I'll be driving this one for a bit."

"Well I'll go get the tags and the keys and you two can wait here or come in and get a cup of coffee or something to warm up a bit," the salesman said still wearing a smile.

The couple went for a short trip around the block with Izumi at the wheel before Mikio went around a few more times to get a better feel for the car. They went back to the dealership and looked at an Altezza with a 6 speed manual transmission but came back to the Aristo, signed the papers to buy it and drove back to their apartment in it, leaving Izumi's EG6 as the trade in on the new car. Gavin and the others got to see the new car when they showed up at Gavin's apartment for dinner that night.

At Usui pass even the Saitama team showed up for the final downhill bout to at least find out who the downhiller would be for their rematch with the other Gunma teams. They were friendly enough to the other teams, no one teased about having beaten them or anything else of the sort and they seemed to be enjoying the festivities just as much as everyone else as the race started.

During the first round Makato led the way for the traditional cat and mouse start of the Mt. Usui racers. It was a close race the whole way down, Matsuda couldn't get by but Makato couldn't get away from the other S15 either. When the second round started Makato could easily tell that Matsuda was extraordinarily upset. His lines were rougher and the pace was nearly doubled from the first round but somehow Makato found a way by and passed him, only to be passed moments later by the silver S15.

"Geez these two are nuts, I don't think I've ever seen a position swap on this mountain that didn't lead to a victory," the leader of the Usui sparks said with a nervous chuckle.

"Well you've seen it now so you can't say that anymore," Shou replied with a lighter chuckle of his own.

When the two cars arrived at the bottom it was still too close to call a true winner so both men agreed to a third round after checking over their cars. Makato found a small fracture in the rear window of his car from the amount of twisting the body had done. Matsuda's S15 was in better shape since the body was braced for such hard cornering having been a two way runner before joining the Street Kings.

While they were driving back to the summit Matsuda was absolutely livid at himself for not having finished this off as easily as he once had in Myogi, he knew that Makato had improved since their race but he wasn't expecting such a fight. The S15 felt like it was ready to go another round since both cars had been given a little time to really cool off in the cold night air beforehand, but he knew that if this drew into a fourth round it was unlikely he'd be driving home.

"Come on silver," Matsuda said in a comforting way, "Just one last round and we'll call it quits for the night, win or lose."

In the black S15 just ahead of the Street Kings' primary downhill driver, Makato was beginning to feel the amount of stress these races and all the practicing had taken on his car, it was pulling slightly to the right and if felt a little off balance coming out of corners.

"Come on, just one last round and I'll let you retire completely, fix you up pretty and drive you as my street car," the black haired man said with a chuckle, "Don't let me die yet."

When the two cars arrived back at the summit they put on a little show spinning the two cars in opposing directions to face the mountain ahead of them. When the go was given they took off slow till the first corner before slamming foot to floor and starting the third round.

As they cleared corner after corner the two men knew that this would be the last round. Makato was fighting his over stressed car, while Matsuda was fighting against fatigue, his anger and a slowly rising temperature gauge. Makato spotted an opening as the silver S15 leading him began to slide off its line slightly.

"Okay, let's use that to end this," Makato said as he stuck his nose into the gap between Matsuda's S15 and the guardrail.

Before Matsuda could react he watched the black S15 of the Night Wolves slip into the lead spot before seeing the back windshield of the car turn into one giant spider web that luckily didn't bust.

Makato heard the loud cracks of the back window nearly exploding as he fought the fact he was going too fast after passing the other S15. The black haired man didn't have the heart to look back to see how bad it really was especially after the initial pop nearly scared him off the road.

"Okay, looks like you're retiring a might earlier than I thought," Makato muttered as he let off the throttle to back out of the race, the back window still popping every so often as new cracks formed.

Behind him the other S15 was also slowing to a more normal road going pace as they continued to snake their way down the pass to somewhere they could actually pull over. When they reached the finish line even the Saitama team was wondering what had happened until the nearly shattered window in the black S15 shown under a street light caused the entire population of the parking lot to fall silent.

"What happened up there?" Shou asked sounding concerned for both drivers.

"The stress broke my back window and I was fighting it enough as it was already," Makato answered for his part in slowing down.

"My temp gauge just got too high for comfort, I was coasting as much as I could till I got down here," Matsuda said with a very uncomfortable look on his face, "Makato passed me; he's won the downhill battle."

"I'm going to have to replace my car before the rematch can happen, I think I've twisted this one enough tonight," the Night Wolves leader said with a nervous chuckle, "I'll be ready fast though so tomorrow at Akina still holds for the date."

"Don't you need a few days for tuning?" the Saitama team leader asked thinking he'd want to face a proper opponent.

"I've got most of my settings written down and I've already got most of the parts since I like to keep spares on hand," Makato answered with a wide grin, "I've been through a few cars so I learned to work really fast to keep races."

The next night around eight thirty, true to his word, Makato sat on the hood of a new white S15 with a single snarling wolf's head on the quarter window, smoking a thick cigar as the Street Kings arrived at the summit. Behind his car were three vans, one slap full of tires for both the S15 and Takako's R34 while the other two held parts and tools for setting up both cars.

"Little early for celebrating isn't it?" Takako asked pulling her coat on after stepping from her silver R34.

"We've only got an hour and a half, let's get in a few runs before these guys show up, we have plenty of tires and gas on hand so push as hard as you want," Makato said ignoring her question as he put what was left of the cigar out on the pavement between his feet.

Everyone could tell something was seriously different about the Night Wolves leader. None of them had seen him smoke before and his attitude was bordering on flat rude as he ordered a few people to start checking on the R34 before Takako started her practice runs. After that the older black haired man nearly ran everyone over tearing out of the parking area to start his practice.

"Do any of you know what's eating him tonight?" Takako asked one of the mechanics as he set the tire pressure on the driver's front corner.

The mechanic simply shook his head keeping his concentration on the car rather than talking. Once the check was completed she was on her way to the base to start her practice when she got to the five hairpins she saw the S15 off to the side, its flashers on while Makato checked the road in its headlights.

"Hey, nothing wrong is there?" the black haired woman asked when she was next to him.

"Just checking these gutters, hoping to gain a little ground by using them," the Night Wolves leader answered coldly.

"That isn't what I was talking about Makato-san," Takako replied with a concerned tone while stepping from her car, "Your attitude tonight is way off, first you ignore a simple joke of a question about your smoking a cigar, then you bark at the mechanics you brought with you, then you nearly run all of us over coming onto the road."

"Just family issues, nothing you need to worry about," the black haired man said with a slightly softer tone, "I'm a little pissed at everything right now, I don't mean to be such an ass but it happens when things go wrong."

"You want to tell me about whatever it is? Might help."

"My old man had a heart attack two days ago, they said he would be fine after a few days and that he would go home soon."

"That's good news isn't it?"

"Yeah, but the fact I didn't know about it till today is what has me pissed off, I should have been with him those two nights, but no one told me so I was out racing instead."

"There isn't anything you can do about something like that, I'm sure whoever left you out of the loop had a good reason for it."

"No, they had NO reason to leave his only son out of the damn loop Takako-chan, I should have been the first damn call they made!" Makato nearly shouted as he stepped back towards his own car, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you, I'll be fine for the races tonight but if you don't mind I'd rather you take the uphill first, at least then I won't have to hang around after mine is done."

"It's okay, I'll take my race first," Takako answered before climbing back into her silver R34, "Hey, why a white car this time?" she asked through the still open window.

"Couldn't get a black one," the black haired man laughed as he climbed into the white S15.

The two continued to practice until the road was taken over by people who were coming out to watch the races, and the five members of Project GT were at each of the five hairpins to see what Makato would do there during the downhill. They were also there because they wanted to see the team from Saitama that swept across Gunma in four weekends forcing their possibly coming out of mountain racing retirement.

"Are you sure it was a good idea not telling the other teams we were here?" Reiko asked through one of the radios her brother had given the team.

"If we told them we were here it's likely we'd get roped into racing," Gavin's voice answered through the earpiece the black haired young woman wore.

"Not to mention what happens with our FIA licenses if we get caught out here by the police," Tatsuo's voice added a short moment later.

"Cut the chatter they're getting ready to start the uphill race," Nika said with the commanding tone she'd once used on the entire Night Wolves team.

Down at the start line Takako's silver Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 was lined up next to the newest addition to the Skyline family. The dark blue R35 looked fierce just sitting on the starting line and the black haired woman was really beginning to get nervous about this race. The driver of the machine was the leader of the Saitama team and it was the first race he'd be running in this area since the first rounds went to lower hands on the team.

"Okay Takako, you can win this, just get out in front and don't let him by you," the black haired woman said to herself as Shou stepped between the two cars to start the race.

When her leader's hand dropped Takako floored the throttle and flew off the line without even a chirp from the tires, the R35 keeping its place right next to her until the first corner where Takako was on the inside, allowing her to slip ahead as she held the accelerator down.

As they came out of the corner she finally let out the breath she'd been holding and started making her R34's movements more graceful and smoother than ever before as she continued her way through the corners trying to keep her mind off the immense pressure coming from the R35 behind her. When the two cars flew into the first of Akina's famed five hairpins Takako stuck her tires on the very edge of the gutter allowing the back to slip just slightly as she cleared it.

Mikio immediately made the report from his vantage point on the inside of the hairpin, Gavin and Tatsuo reporting that she did the same at the next two hairpins.

"She just dropped the tires into the gutter at the fourth uphill hairpin," Reiko's voice rang through every radio on the mountain, "I think the R35 was a little shocked, he missed the best line, Takako's got about half a car over him now."

The fifth hairpin report was the same, Takako dropped her tires into the gutter and floored the pedal while fighting against the car to keep it there. This caused the R35 to fall behind just a little further though not nearly as far as the first. As they wound their way up the mountain's pass Takako had a sense of an impending second uphill run as the R35 continued to find ways to close the gap a small bit at a time. When the two cars came to the last hairpins the R35 snuck by its older relative with such ease it made the woman feel something well beyond anger as she floored the throttle once again.

"You are NOT getting away that easy," Takako half shouted at the car in front of her.

She moved to the outside for the hairpin early keeping the throttle pinned to the floor as she pushed the nose of her car next to the back tire of the R35. She could only pray he would be predictable and brake hard to keep from going into opposing wall of the mountain as they continued to fly towards the corner. The R35 driver finally relented in the game of chicken and slammed the brake pedal to the floor fighting the ABS as it came on. Takako waited a split second longer and cut in front of the other car forcing him to brake even harder as she cleared the hairpin ahead of him.

"This girl is suicidal!" someone shouted through the radio right after he'd finished explaining what happened.

Matsuda and Shou could only hide their chuckles at all of the shocked faces around them as Takako and her opponent drew closer to the finish. When the two cars came into view of the finish they were very nearly neck and neck with the R34 just slightly ahead.

"COME ON TAKAKO!" Shou screamed as the R35 seemed to get out in front for a moment.

As if the R34 had heard him shouting Takako found a little extra speed and got the nose of it back into the lead just before the finish. The two cars moved off to the side so the drivers could figure out what to do next from the line monitors but to everyone's surprise the driver of the dark blue R35 climbed out of his car after cutting it off.

"I concede the uphill," he said with a somewhat disbelieving tone, "After what she's pulled tonight I have no doubt I'd lose the second round as well."

Takako only heard the last part as she stepped from her car so she looked about as confused as everyone else around until Shou swept her off her feet in a big bear hug and everyone else started cheering, that's when she'd figured out she'd won for sure. Once the two GT-Rs were off the road and in the little pull off area Makato moved his white S15 up to the line to wait for his opponent.

When the red S14 belonging to the Saitama team's main downhiller reached the start line Makato could see the mouths of the crowds around him cheering him on but he couldn't hear anything but a quiet ring in his ears.

'_Why the hell am I so nervous about this race?' _Makato thought as he watched Shou Enomoto, leader of the Street Kings, take his place between the two Nissans.

Makato's phone buzzed in his pocket just as Shou started to raise his hand, the Night Wolves leader hit his horn to stop the countdown. He read the text from his mother on the phone's screen _'Your father is getting worse, get to the hospital as soon as you can, Mom.'_ The black haired man felt the blood leave his face and turn to a huge chunk of ice in his stomach.

'_I can't back out, not now that I'm sitting right next to the guy,' _Makato thought as he leaned his head back against the bucket seat trying to figure out what to do.

After only a few moments the S15's engine revved twice, its driver now looking more determined but the fear in his eyes seemed different. Shou started the countdown again and kept his eyes on the white Nissan as its engine nearly played a melody while the Night Wolves leader fought every urge to just floor the throttle and get down the mountain. When the go was given Shou had a hard time seeing what was going on around him as both cars took off in what seemed like a wall of smoke.

As the two Nissans cleared the first hairpins it was clear to anyone in the Night Wolves something was off as the two cars seemed to dance across the pavement. Their leader's lines were rougher but his pace seemed much higher than even the races against Matsuda of the Street Kings. They also noticed that the S14 was very nearly following the S15's almost reckless style in what appeared to be an attempt to keep up.

Makato had lost all notion of speed as he barreled through each of Akina's corners with the one continuous thought that he'd never see his father again. Unfortunately for him the Saitama downhiller was finally beginning to get comfortable with the set pace and began to close the short gap that had opened between the two cars as they approached Akina's famed five consecutive hairpins.

"This is the first downhill hairpin; Makato just hooked his tires into the gutter, the gap is re-opening," Nika said from her place on the inside of the hairpin.

The whole of Project GT noticed something was different as the white S15 was flying through each of the hairpins. Makato seemed to be going way faster than normal; surprising them all even more was the S14 slipping its tires into the last two trying to regain some lost ground. As the two cars flew towards the line the S15 seemed to be more motivated to get there first and opened a gap of half a car length before the finish line. Makato drifted through the corner around the parking area and just kept on driving as fast as he could towards the hospital.

Everyone was so curious to find out why the Night Wolves leader had just completely blown past the line that they didn't notice Project GT and the two cars from the Street Kings that had waited at the summit come into the parking area.

"Congratulations, but I guess we're done here for now, maybe one day we'll face off with this Project GT you tried to call in," the leader of the Saitama team said before rounding up his drivers and leaving.

Once everything had settled down the crowd began to thin out and after about twenty minutes only ten cars remained in the lower parking lot of the Mt. Akina pass, none of which belonged to the Myogi Night Wolves. Gavin and Shou were talking about the hairpins and why the now professional team was there at all while Reiko and Nika tried to talk Takako into going shopping with them before the real question of the night got to everyone.

"Does anyone know why Makato-san just blew past the finish line tonight?" the leader of the Akagi Blue Fire team asked leaning against his car.

"It may have something to do with his father, he's in the hospital after a heart attack," Takako said in a rather somber tone.

The whole parking lot went completely silent before Gavin made his way to his FD and drove out of the parking area with Reiko and his other teammates close behind. The two leaders of the Akagi teams left next, followed closely by the leader of the Usui Sparks. Shou left shortly after leaving Takako and her R34 alone in the parking lot.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

As the weeks passed till Christmas the drivers of the Takahashi Racing Team continued their twenty lap runs around both the old throttle course and the new F1 inspired course until the week of Christmas itself. Izumi got her driver's license redone to include manual transmissions after a lot of on and off track practice. The teams of Gunma started their winter break, though the leaders of each team would occasionally meet up and have a little fun in the snow. Takako Shinagawa and Makato Fujimoto, the two fastest active racers in the Gunma mountains, started seeing each other more outside the mountains but weren't calling it a relationship, just two friends having a good time out on the town.

When Christmas day finally came Tatsuo and Nika headed for Tokyo in his SE3P. He had her blindfolded so she couldn't see their first destination which was a small little boutique that sold almost nothing but hand made jewelry.

"Pick out anything you like today, even if it is Christmas gifts for the others," Tatsuo said with a warm smile seeing the girl's eyes light up.

The brown haired girl picked out a necklace for Reiko and a small ruby necklace that went beautifully with one of her favorite formal dresses. They moved from store to store looking at different things and finding the perfect gift for Izumi, Mikio and Gavin before they stopped for lunch.

"So what are you going to do for your teammates' Christmas gifts Tatsuo?" Nika asked as they ate.

"Oh I plan to tell the truth, you picked them, I bought them," the black haired man responded with a small chuckle, "I really did figure on telling them they were from both of us, since we are living together and all."

"Well that seems unfair, I should at least get credit where it's due, I did pick everything out," the brown haired young woman said with a small grin of her own.

"You'll get your credit dear, but I did at least approve of the choices, though I guess the one you picked for Reiko can be all your own since I picked her up a tablet so she can draw straight on the computer."

"I'm shocked she didn't have one already."

"Well she does prefer a more traditional method, but she's shown an interest in starting to do more digital art, but enough about that, your Christmas with me shouldn't be spent talking about what we got others," Tatsuo said taking his girlfriend's hand in his, "How about we go to one of those short kabuki shows? We have all day here but I really don't like sitting in one place for several hours."

"You know, I've always wanted to see one of those, my Mom and Dad dragged me to a couple of the full length ones when I was little, never saw one of the shorter ones," Nika replied with a wide smile.

As the show started Tatsuo put his arm around Nika's shoulder and pulled her close to him and she simply rested her head against his shoulder for a while. They walked out of the small theater hand in hand and headed for another store where Tatsuo picked out a couple of new shirts while Nika found two new evening gowns for formal affairs.

"Why are you getting so much formal wear? We're not going to be attending very many of my family's parties during the racing season," Tatsuo said with a chuckle as he paid for the items.

"Oh, I know we won't be, but that doesn't mean I can't get all pretty for our dates now does it?" Nika replied with a snarky tone.

"I guess not, you can wear that necklace with the red dress tonight, we've got dinner reservations here tonight," the black haired man said, chuckling as Nika's eyes got wide, "Did you really not expect me to have some plan for dinner?"

"Well you didn't say anything about dressing up so I thought you had something more casual in mind than a formal restaurant I guess," the brown haired girl replied with a slight look of embarrassment on her face.

"Well I did have that covered too, but since you've got the pretty new dress the one I brought just won't do," Tatsuo said with a half joking tone.

Nika let out a small giggle at her boyfriend's very rare show of his silly side and just playfully slapped him on the arm before they left the store and continued on their way. Around dinner time Tatsuo and Nika went back to the car and drove to one of the nicer hotels in the city.

"Are we staying here tonight?" Nika asked with an awestruck tone as she looked at the tall building.

"Well I guess we could, all I really had in mind was a place to clean up and change before dinner tonight," Tatsuo said as the valet nearly drooled on his heavily modified RX-8, "How about we make that decision after you've seen the rooms they have here?"

Nika muttered an okay as Tatsuo grabbed the bag with her new dress and one of his best tuxedos out of the trunk of the Aztec Gold machine. The couple was greeted by a very friendly clerk who carried both of the clothing bags up to the room they were given. When the huge door opened Nika's mind went blank as the clerk showed them where everything was.

In the entryway there were two doorways that led to the two main parts of the room. The one to the left led to a lavishly decorated bedroom with an ornately carved solid wood armoire with a few drawers in the bottom as well as a large dresser with a floral pattern carved into the drawer fronts. The two nightstands on either side of the queen sized bed had the same floral pattern as the dresser in the single drawer fronts. The major lighting in the room was provided by a small chandelier over the bed, but there were also lamps on each of the nightstands. The door to the right in the entryway led to a sitting room with a big TV, an overstuffed couch, and a good sized desk with a fluffy looking rolling chair.

"We have a chef on call twenty four hours a day and someone is always at the front desk so if you need anything please call," the clerk said with a smile before leaving the couple alone in the room.

"Are we staying here tonight?" Tatsuo asked with a small smile and a chuckle as Nika continued to look around the room.

"I really want to," Nika said still carrying the awestruck tone from before, "I'm actually a little more worn out from the shopping than I thought I would be, a quiet dinner and then going to bed is sounding really good right now."

"Then it shall be, I'll call the front desk while you're getting cleaned up and have this room marked as occupied for the night," the black haired man said with a warm smile just before his girlfriend nearly knocked him off his feet wrapping him in a hug.

When they got to the restaurant the couple was immediately seated at a small table for two overlooking the city lights. Tatsuo followed the waiter's recommendations and ordered two glasses of wine to go with their meal.

"I thought you didn't like alcohol at all," Nika said quietly once the waiter had left.

"It's Christmas so I figured why not? Besides it's only one glass," Tatsuo replied with a shrug, "Plus I can almost bet that we'll have less combined tonight than one of us had at Gavin's a few weeks ago."

Nika didn't have time to agree before Tatsuo stood and offered to take her for one spin around the dance floor before their dinner arrived. They had just started their second dance when Tatsuo saw the waiter set the plates and wine on the table. They ate in comfortable silence until Nika remembered her gift for her boyfriend.

"Umm, I think I did better this year with your gift," the brown haired young woman said with a smile as she placed the small box on the table.

Tatsuo opened the box and smiled at the small silver cello and bow pendant on a thin link chain that rested in the box.

"When I saw it at the store I couldn't help but think of when you said you'd love to be able to carry your cello sometimes," Nika said after a few moments of silence, "I figure now you can."

"I…I don't know what to say," Tatsuo replied finding it difficult to speak at all, "'I love it' just doesn't seem to be enough to do what I feel justice."

"It's enough to know you love it," the brown haired young woman said beaming with happiness, "So, what did you get me this year? Pearls? Emeralds?" she asked in a rather playful manner.

"Actually I really couldn't think of what to get the girl who already has me tied around her little finger," the black haired man said with a slight nervousness in his tone, "So I'd like everything you picked out today to be my Christmas gift to you this year."

Now it was Nika's turn to get a little misty eyed as she tried to catch the breath he seemed to steal from her with his words.

"I love you Tatsuo," the brown haired young woman said stepping around the table and hugging him.

"I love you too Nika," the black haired man whispered in her ear just before she let go.

They shared another dance at the restaurant before returning to the hotel around ten for the remainder of the evening.

Around the time Nika and Tatsuo sat down for the short kabuki show in Tokyo, Mikio and Izumi picked up Kitamura, Mikio's twelve year old brother, to a have a little talk with the young man about a few things.

"Kit, Mom tells me you're not too happy about me wanting to marry Izumi, why is that?" the bleach blonde man said in a genuinely worried and curious tone.

"I don't want to lose my Onii-chan to a girl that's all, I mean what if I need someone to talk to or something?" the boy replied sounding half angry and half sad at the same time.

"Kit, I'm always going to be your big brother, I could be driving a race car in Malaysia and still find a way to answer your call," Mikio replied with a serious tone while lightening up a lot since his imagination had blown the whole thing out of proportion.

"And if he couldn't answer the phone for any reason I'd gladly try and help you Kitamura-kun," Izumi said with a kind smile and a tone to match.

"But what if it's girl problems or something like that?" Kit asked still sounding a little out of sorts.

"I am a girl, I think I'm qualified to help there," Izumi replied with a very small giggle when the young boy blushed.

They spent about an hour talking with the boy making sure he didn't continue to feel he'd be losing his big brother again before taking him back home and having a late lunch with Mikio's family. Before they left Mikio gave his little brother the Christmas gift from him and Izumi; it was one of the latest racing games on the market and Kit nearly flew through the ceiling when he opened it. Izumi told Mikio that he didn't need to get her anything since he'd gotten her the car only a couple weeks before, but he got her a small heart shaped locket anyway.

"So I was thinking since we're in this neck of the woods we'd go and see your parents," Mikio said as they drove towards the Iroha slopes in the Aristo, "I mean we've already seen mine."

"Okay, I think Dad might want to talk to you anyway, he was hinting at something last time we talked," Izumi said with a small laugh as Mikio's appearance turned to one of almost sheer terror in a flash.

Later that evening around six o'clock Mikio and Izumi pulled into her parents' drive way. The house itself wasn't very big but it certainly had a very homey feel with the simple color pallet and two big trees behind it that Mikio had to resist the childish urge to go climb. They were greeted by Izumi's mother who led Mikio to Izumi's father, a rather intimidating figure when he was behind the big desk in his home office.

"So Izumi says you have something to ask me, even though it seems you've already received her answer to your second proposal," the man said leaning onto the desk a little further, "So what is it you want to ask me Taniguchi-kun?"

"I'd like to formally ask for your daughter's hand in marriage," Mikio replied with a confident tone despite the dread he was feeling, "Again."

"Are you really so set on tradition that you'd risk asking after what you put her through?"

"Yes Sir, I know that I was a complete jerk two years ago and I regret it completely, but two days after she left I knew that I wanted her back more than I wanted anything else, my own life included on a couple of more recent occasions," the bleach blonde man replied honestly, "I'd rather have her and lose everything else than lose her again Sir."

Mikio ignored what sounded like gasps from the doorway since it seemed Izumi's father hadn't heard them. He also noticed that the man had been looking at his desk for a few moments longer than the last time he'd asked.

"Alright, you have my permission, but know this young man, you hurt her again I won't be as merciful this time around," Izumi's father said in a slightly strained but still very threatening tone.

"I may be dead before you can get to me Sir, one of my teammates has already offered to put me under the dirt if I hurt her again," Mikio said trying to lighten the mood a little.

The bleach blonde succeeded and had a halfway pleasant conversation about the cracked tooth Gavin had given him. The whole family had a quiet dinner talking mostly about the new car that Mikio and Izumi had come up in and his small hope to drive in one of the Super GT races.

Meanwhile back in Gunma, Gavin was just picking Reiko up in his FD to take her out on their Christmas date. The buzz cut blonde had insisted they follow the Japanese tradition since they had spent it with his family the year before and now they were officially a couple.

When the black haired girl came down the steps from her room she was wearing a silver off the shoulder evening gown with a pattern in a darker silver that covered the entire dress. She saw Gavin wearing a black tie with his tuxedo jacket open showing the black vest he wore under it.

"I think I'm going to have to buy a new vest and tie while we're out, I don't have silver," the buzz cut blonde said offering his arm to his girlfriend.

The two walked out to Gavin's FD, where the buzz cut blonde held the door for her before climbing in and starting down the driveway.

"So what did you have in mind for this year?" Reiko asked as they drove down the Sasaki household's long driveway.

"I was thinking dinner, little dancing since I know how much you like it, maybe some real stargazing at Akina, maybe a movie later," Gavin replied with a smile.

They started towards a small shop that Gavin knew where he bought a new silver vest and tie. He changed into them in the fitting rooms.

"You know you don't have to match me when we go out," Reiko said as the buzz cut blonde stepped out of the fitting room.

"Yes well, I kinda need to tonight with where we're going," Gavin replied leading the curly black haired young woman back out to the car.

When they arrived at a small but extremely formal party that was being held for the Christmas season Reiko understood why he wanted to match her. The men were in full black tuxedos with bow ties, the women were wearing black evening gowns of all styles.

"How did you get invited to this kind of party?" Reiko whispered as they walked to a table.

"I didn't, your father sent the RSVP but something came up so he gave me the invite for us to come," Gavin answered as he pulled her chair out.

"I didn't know he liked you that much," the curly black haired girl said with a joking smile, "But I guess at some point he had to give in."

"Oh he still doesn't like me, but Tatsuo and Nika are in Tokyo tonight," the buzz cut blonde replied with a quiet chuckle.

They sat through a speech about some charity events that were going to be held through the next year while some small hors d'oeuvres were carried around by a few waiters. The couple danced among the other guests and though they stood out, not only for not being dressed the same, but because they were also the youngest people in the building, they still had a little bit of fun.

"Don't fill up on the finger foods, I've got dinner all planned out," Gavin whispered as Reiko took another of the fancy deviled eggs on their way back to the table after their second waltz.

"Can we get to it then? I'm starving for real food," the curly black haired girl replied with a slight giggle before he could pull out her chair.

The buzz cut blonde nodded and offered her his arm to lead her out of the party. They got by most of the guests with only a small amount of hold up, but a few feet from the door Reiko overheard something about the Sasaki's sending their kids just because they didn't want to come. Gavin had to drag her out with a bit of effort to keep her from shouting at whoever had said it.

"Reiko, no reason to go off on someone who doesn't know the situation," the buzz cut blonde said once he had her securely in the FD.

"Even more reason they shouldn't have said it at all," the curly black haired young woman grumbled as she fastened the lap portion of the four point harness.

"Can't help some folks' opinions darling," Gavin said with a chuckle as he got in and drove off ignoring a couple comments about the FD that might have, at some other time, set him off.

They drove in silence back towards Gavin's apartment where he stuck what was already cooked for their dinner in the oven to reheat and started on whatever was left after taking off at least the jacket, tie and vest of his tuxedo. He got out some store bought sushi to stave off Reiko's hunger for a time before setting everything out. He plated two thick cut mahi-mahi filets seasoned with his almost famous lemon pepper seasoning over some wild rice and put a few sliced oven roasted tomatoes around the plate.

"Your favorite dish of mine I believe," the buzz cut blonde said placing the plate before his girlfriend, "Hold off a few seconds on digging in, I've got to get the wine."

"You've been practicing your plating skills haven't you?" Reiko asked with a grin as Gavin dug around for his corkscrew.

"Yeah, between teaching Tatsuo to cook different things and cooking for you and the rest of the team I've been learning how to make food look pretty on top of tasting good," Gavin said just before finding what he was looking for and pouring the wine into a pair of coffee mugs.

"You are the only person I know willing to serve wine in a coffee mug," the curly black haired girl giggled as he placed the two cups on the table.

Gavin simply laughed before starting on his dinner; Reiko quickly followed his example and dug in. When the couple finished their food the buzz cut blonde cleared the table before going into his bedroom to retrieve his vest and tie.

"Are we going back out?" Reiko asked seeing her boyfriend redoing his tie.

"Just feel like going out to Akina for a little bit," Gavin replied as he put his tuxedo jacket back on.

"Okay, I'll have to give you your Christmas gift tomorrow by the way, it doesn't exactly fit anywhere in this dress," the black haired girl said with an embarrassed smile.

'_Well I think it fits in that dress perfectly,' _Gavin thought with a smile as they walked out the door together, "No biggie."

The FD weaved its way through Akina's pass all the way to the lake where it was peacefully quiet and the stars seemed to shine even brighter than before. They stood out on the dock together just watching the stars for a while before Gavin left Reiko standing there alone. When she turned around she caught the buzz cut blonde on his way back carrying a package in one hand and pulling the other out of his pocket, and he'd also turned on the FD's headlights since they were pointing at the dock.

"Here, this is from me to you this year," The buzz cut blonde said with an almost nervous smile.

Reiko quickly took the wrapping paper off the package revealing a small jewelry box. It was polished silver with a jeweled border around the lid and a small message engraved in four lines within the border. The first was simply her first name, the second read 'You've Chased Me For Years, Now You Have Me Heart And Soul', the third read 'I Love You', the final line was only the buzz cut blonde's first name.

"Open it," Gavin said after a few moments of silence.

The curly black haired girl obeyed and slowly opened the box to reveal a two piece, heart shaped pendant necklace. One of the hearts carried an ornate pattern with a stone in the center, the other was a solid silver heart that had 'RR & GR' engraved on the visible side.

"I think your engraver messed up, this says RR instead of RS," Reiko said not realizing her boyfriend had moved between her and the car.

"No they didn't, at least they won't have if you answer properly," Gavin said kneeling onto one knee, moving the ring he held into full view, "Reiko Sasaki, will you be my wife?"

The world seemed to stop for a few moments; all Gavin could hear was his heart pounding in his ears as Reiko stared at the ring. Reiko felt her heart skip several beats as they stayed motionless on the end of the dock; she couldn't find her voice to say anything at all so she simply nodded with a big smile on her face and tears in her eyes. Gavin slipped the ring on her finger and reached back in his pocket, turning the radio on in the FD. The couple held each other close as they simply spun slowly at the end of the dock as slow music filled the air.

"What do you think Tatsuo and Nika will say?" Reiko asked after they were on their way back down the mountain.

"I'm pretty sure 'congratulations' will be on the list with 'Oh my God, how romantic' once you tell the whole story," Gavin replied with a chuckle.

"That's not what I meant, I meant that they've been going out longer than we have," the curly black haired girl said with a more serious tone.

"Reiko, you and I have known each other almost as long as I've lived out here, they didn't meet till after we started classes," the buzz cut blonde said with a chuckle just before throwing the FD into a four wheel drift around one of the last corners in the downhill.

When they arrived back at Gavin's apartment they both changed out of their formal attire and sat down on the couch where they fell asleep watching a romantic movie. Reiko kept her new necklace and the engagement ring on her finger the whole night after agreeing not to tell anyone until they could tell the whole team together.

Two days later Makato Fujimoto sent a text out to every leader in the Gunma area as well as all five drivers of Project GT for them to meet up with him at Mt. Myogi's summit parking area without their teammates on New Years Eve for an announcement.

When the last two hours of the year rolled around on New Years Eve, Project GT arrived at the summit just ahead of the silver R32 of the Street Kings leader and the S13 of the Usui Sparks leader. A few minutes later the two leaders of the Akagi Blue Fire team and the 3R3 arrived and took up places in the growing circle of cars.

"So, do you think he's going to announce that he and Takako are dating?" Shou joked as he leaned on his silver R32 while they waited on Makato to arrive.

"If we see that R34 come up behind him it might be just that," Gavin said with a laugh since he as well as the rest of Project GT had been told about the two by the leader of the Street Kings about a week after the rematch races with the team from Saitama.

"I don't care what he has to say at this point as long as he gets here and says it before I freeze," the dark red haired leader of the Akagi 3R3 team said with an annoyed tone as he leaned against his red R32.

Just as Gavin was about to reply the snow white S15 belonging to the Night Wolves leader pulled into the parking area with no cars behind it. Shou nearly laughed his head off though when Takako stepped from the passenger seat of the S15.

"Officially dating it is then," Shou said once he calmed down a little.

"Sorry to disappoint but that isn't the news he brings," Takako answered punching her teammate in the chest, though not hard enough to do any real damage.

"As my Christmas gift to all of the team leaders, I've bought tickets and all zones passes to the Takahashi Racing Team's first official race," Makato announced before anyone had time to laugh.

"No way, you can keep mine, I'm not going to a race to watch people who left us all to hang when that Saitama team came blazing through here," the 3R3 leader half shouted as he practically jumped off the hood of his car.

"Well I'll give your ticket to Takako then, makes no difference to me at all," the black haired leader of the Night Wolves replied coldly taking out the passes and tickets and handing one to each of the other leaders and one to Takako.

"This is a pretty big gesture Makato-san, what's the occasion?" the leader of the Usui Sparks asked looking at the ticket and pass as he leaned against his green S13.

"The night they told us they were leaving the mountains I came up with this, just because I wanted to at the time, but after the Saitama event I figured it better to show what they'd be giving up if they had come," the Night Wolves leader replied gesturing towards the drivers of Project GT, "If you like you can pass the tickets on to those who voted to call Project GT, they'll be more than welcome to come."

"You're passing up a hell of a chance, I hope you know it won't come again," Shou said directly to the leader of the 3R3.

"I don't care, I refuse to go as would my teammates," the dark red haired man said before jumping in his R32 and driving off.

"You know, for being such good drivers, that whole team's attitude sucks," the leader of the Blue Fire team chuckled lightening the mood slightly.

"Umm, there is another announcement to be made while we have you all here," Reiko said drawing everyone's attention to her and Gavin, "Gavin and I got engaged on Christmas day."

Takako, Izumi and Nika pulled the curly black haired young woman away from her fiancé before either of them could react. Gavin was surrounded by the other team leaders and his soon to be brother in-law as they congratulated him, shook his hand or slapped him on the back. It only took a few minutes for the men to calm down and start talking about cars and other things again, the women of the group took a little longer to rejoin their conversation. Makato shocked everyone again by kissing Takako when the countdown to midnight reached zero.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Two weeks into the new year, Gavin, Tatsuo and Satoshi, the new leader of the Emperors team, met with Mikio at Akina after receiving a rather cryptic text message from the bleach blonde man. At the same time Nika and Reiko met at Myogi with Izumi and a girlfriend of hers.

"So what did you call us up here for Mikio?" Gavin asked stepping out of his FD at the old radio tower at Akina's summit starting line.

"I would like you and Tatsuo to stand at mine and Izumi's wedding, Satoshi will be my best man," the 25 year old bleach blonde said nervously, "Izumi is asking Reiko and Nika to be her bridesmaids at Myogi right now."

"I guess I'd better say yes then, Reiko probably already has," the buzz cut blonde chuckled as he leaned against the guardrail, "Wouldn't be proper for someone else to walk with her down the aisle."

Tatsuo seemed to think about it for a few moments trying to figure Nika's reaction. He knew she wasn't a huge fan of Izumi, the two got along well enough but they really didn't talk to each other. Nika had once told him she found Izumi rather closed off and that the two women had nothing in common. The sound of a loud message alert filled the still air breaking his train of thought.

"Best you say yes too Tatsuo, Reiko's text says that Nika said she'd do it," Gavin chuckled as he put his phone away.

"I guess I'm in then," the black haired man said with a chuckle.

"Great, the wedding date is already set for the middle of February, so you two should have time to rent your tuxedos," Mikio said with a wide smile.

"Before that smile gets any wider, do you have a place in mind for us to get those tuxedos?" Gavin asked with a small grin of his own.

"I'll get any information related to the wedding to you and the girls before training tomorrow, tonight was mainly about getting the question asked," the bleach blonde replied with a nervous chuckle, "Anyone else care to have some fun while we're out here?"

The four men spent about an hour running up and down the pass before returning to their respective homes. As promised, Mikio handed over all information pertaining to the wedding, with the invites, before training the next day. Ryosuke, Keisuke and Takumi tacked on ten more laps to the training schedule, bringing their total laps per driver to thirty across the school's two largest circuits. As the next three weeks passed Tatsuo, Gavin, Reiko and Nika all got their outfits for the wedding during the first available day off.

"Mikio, you look paler than a sheet of paper, it's only the rehearsal, breathe man," Gavin said with a serious tone as the two walked into the place where Mikio and Izumi would hold their wedding, "You don't have to read vows or worry about her showing up today," he added with a lighter tone.

"You won't be so cool headed when your wedding day comes around," Mikio said lightening up a little bit.

"Probably not, but that's why I get to pick on you today," the buzz cut blonde said pulling his grandfather's dog tags a little with the collar on his shirt, "So you can get your revenge come my wedding day."

"Those won't be visible tomorrow will they?" the older man asked pointing towards the tags and chain.

"I'll have them in my pocket or well hidden during the ceremony, after that there are no guarantees."

"That's enough for me, oh by the way if Kit causes any trouble, you've got my permission to smack him upside the head for today, since he's going to be in front of you."

"And tomorrow?" Gavin asked with a half evil grin.

"He knows better than to cause trouble tomorrow already, Mom intends on teaching you the trick she uses, feels weird as hell," Mikio said moving his shoulders back and forth as if it were reflex at the simple memory.

During the rehearsal Gavin and Reiko stood across from one another at the bottom of a small set of steps, Tatsuo and Nika one step up while Satoshi, Mikio, Izumi and her Maid of Honor all stood together on the stage listening to the minister go over everything that would go on the next day including when the groomsmen should walk out with the groom, letting the bridesmaids come in alone before the bride. Kitamura and the young girl chosen to be the flower girl were also in their places in front of Reiko and Gavin. The black haired young boy was swinging the pillow the rings would be tied to by the strings.

"Izumi made that, if you mess it up your mother won't have enough left of you to bury," Gavin said quietly to the young man as the minister was going over the ceremony with the bride and groom to be.

Kitamura stopped swinging the pillow but started leaning back against Gavin or just shifting his feet in the carpet. After the rehearsal ceremony was over, Mikio's mother pulled the two young men away from the rest of the party.

"Alright Kitamura, today you got away with a few things, but tomorrow Gavin will have permission to use my little trick to keep you in line, so you best be good tomorrow," Mizuki said looking towards the buzz cut blonde.

Kitamura nodded to both of them with a nervous grin before running off towards the others. The graying woman explained that her trick was a simple knuckle pressed between the shoulder blades. After a quick tutorial they rejoined the wedding party only for Gavin and Satoshi to grab Mikio by the arms and drag him off with Tatsuo and Kitamura close behind them.

"If Mikio shows up hungover tomorrow I'm going to kill all of them," Izumi muttered as she watched the four younger men pushing her fiancé into the passenger seat of Gavin's toreador red RX-7.

"He won't be, Tatsuo doesn't drink alcohol often and Gavin only serves wine with fancy dinners, beyond that he doesn't drink either; plus Kit-kun is with them so I doubt there will be any drinking anyway," Nika said before pulling Izumi in the direction of her pearl blue 350Z.

Tatsuo and Kitamura followed the FD out of the parking lot in the Aztec Gold RX-8 while Satoshi drove his own black 1997 Lan-Evo IV. When they arrived at Gavin's apartment the buzz cut blonde recruited Kit to help him prepare their dinner while Mikio fought tooth and nail as Tatsuo and Satoshi dragged him out of the car because he feared what the three younger men had in mind.

"Mikio, what the hell do you think is going to happen tonight?" Tatsuo asked as the older man finally wore himself out, "Your twelve year old brother is here, do you honestly think we'd do anything inappropriate with him around?"

"No, I guess not," the bleach blonde replied finally relaxing a bit.

"Besides, this is just dinner, we're going to Myogi later," Satoshi said with a chuckle as a look of panic once again fell on his former leader's face as they sat him down on Gavin's couch.

Forty-five minutes later everyone was sitting at the table; Kit was allowed one short glass of wine as long as he promised to keep his mouth shut about it. Gavin placed the pork chops on the table with a bowl of fried apples before sitting down at Mikio's right since the soon to be wed was at the head of the table.

"Okay, we have modenese pork chops prepared with fresh sage, rosemary and lemon sauce for the main course, and cinnamon fried apples for the side, dessert will be had at Myogi since Shou and Makato wanted to pick that out," the buzz cut blonde said as he passed the plate towards Mikio, "Trying something new tonight so let me know what you think."

"Where did you find this recipe?" Satoshi asked with half a mouth full, clearly enjoying the meal.

"The apples I had on hand, found the pork chops online a few nights ago and figured 'what the hell?'," the buzz cut blonde answered with a shrug.

"Kit-kun, if you want something else to drink just say so," Tatsuo said with a chuckle noticing how Kitamura was making funny faces after tasting the wine.

"If there's any sodas around that would be fine," Kit said placing the mug of wine at the edge of his reach.

Gavin nodded with a small chuckle as he took the mug and emptied it into his before refilling it with soda for the young boy and placing it back on the table. The men and boy continued to eat in relative silence until the food was gone. Tatsuo, Mikio and Satoshi all played video games with Kitamura until Gavin said it was time to leave.

When they arrived at the summit of Myogi every male member of the Gunma teams were waiting for them at the summit. A long table with all manner of finger foods on it was set up near Makato's snow white S15 and a good sized cake was on the hood of Shou's R32.

Once the party was really underway music could be heard from several cars and the members of the Night Wolves were putting on a show in an open part of the parking area. Gavin and Kitamura were discussing what he might get for his first car a little more seriously while Tatsuo and Makato were putting on a show of their own on the mountain while Mikio followed them in Satoshi's car.

"Hey Blood Runner, think I could get a race against you tonight?" the dark red haired leader of the Akagi 3R3 team called out across the parking lot causing most of the crowd to fall silent.

"This is a party, not a race night, I'm retired from street racing and I haven't been the Blood Runner in almost five years, so…no," Gavin answered coldly.

Most of the crowd went back to the party or whatever it was they were doing, the dark red haired man simply shrugged and went towards the table where the food was laid out.

"Why did that guy call you Blood Runner Gavin-san?" Kit asked after everything else went back to normal.

"It's what my old team used to call me when I was road racing, mostly because of my car's paint job," the buzz cut blonde replied with a small smile at the memories of that team, "The other part was because I supposedly made a guy's nose bleed while racing, haven't figured that out yet."

Kitamura started laughing, dragging Gavin into it with him. Once Mikio, Satoshi, Tatsuo and Makato returned to the summit, Gavin started slicing the cake that read 'Congratulations Mikio' while everyone else started lining up to get a piece. Mikio was given the first slice, heavy on the icing at his request, before Gavin set aside his piece and started serving off Shou's hood.

"Tatsuo Sasaki, you've got 30 seconds," Tatsuo said answering his ringing phone without checking the number.

"That's a hell of a way to greet your sister," Reiko's voice rang through the speaker, "Gavin's not answering his phone, wanted to check in, see how things were going."

"Sorry Reiko, didn't check the number first and I'm not sure Gavin has his phone on him, he had it on the charger before we left," the black haired man said placing a hand over his mouth and the phone's mouthpiece, "Things are fine at Myogi, where are you girls tonight?"

"We're over at Akagi, Izumi seemed to be rather excited to come out here for some reason, so here we are," his sister's voice replied sounding like she had no idea what was going on.

"Who all ended up showing?"

"The bridal party, Takako and Emiko but that's it, not even the girl friends Izumi invited came, though at this point it looks as though she doesn't care."

"Excited about the wedding I'd guess, she's been waiting a long time for Mikio to get her back," Tatsuo said with a chuckle.

When the party ended at Myogi it was around midnight, Makato and Shou followed the groom and groomsmen back to Gavin's apartment since the girls were taking over Nika and Tatsuo's for the night. When they got back Kit almost immediately fell asleep in Gavin's most comfortable chair. The others quickly followed his example once they all found places to sleep since the bed went to the groom.

The next day the groom was sequestered to be sure he didn't see the bride. Satoshi and Gavin were keeping him company while the other men were hunting the photographers so they could go ahead with the groom's photos.

"Come on Mikio-san, you're going to pace a hole in the floor," Satoshi said leaning back in one of the chairs in the small office.

"I'm just bored Satoshi-kun, I can't help feeling restless when I'm bored," the older man replied with an unconvincing tone.

"She's not leaving Taniguchi and if she does, any one of the bridesmaids can catch her," Gavin said making the other two men laugh.

On the bride's side of the building Reiko and Nika were having a difficult time getting Izumi to sit still long enough to fix her hair. The auburn haired young woman was smiling from ear to ear and was full of energy; she'd bounced on the balls of her feet the whole time they were helping her into her dress and now she was practically vibrating on the chair.

"Izumi if you don't sit still I'm tying you to the chair," Nika threatened as she held the bride to be still.

"Can you really blame me for being excited? After two years of being apart, Mikio and I are getting married like we'd planned," Izumi replied with a wide smile.

"I'd bet money Mikio's thinking is slightly different," Reiko said starting to fix her own hair.

Once everything was finished with the preparations Mikio led his groomsmen to their places about five minutes after the supposed schedule said. They were all wearing simple black tuxedos with silver vests and ties with simple silver knot cuff links; Gavin's dog tags were, as promised, not visible. Reiko entered first wearing a simple evening gown with a pleated bodice to stand across from her fiancé with Nika behind her. When the music started playing the Maid of Honor came out wearing a similar dress to the bridesmaids but hers had a beaded midriff. Kitamura came down and took his place in front of Gavin before the flower girl started her walk out in front of the bride.

As Izumi and her father walked down the aisle Mikio was trying not to let his jaw fall open. His auburn haired bride was in an elegant white satin mermaid cut gown with a sweetheart neckline. The dress had an ornate beaded pattern surrounding the upper bodice that split it down the middle both in the front and back. The semi floral pattern that surrounded the base and train ran up to almost meet the bodice's own patterns.

When the auburn haired woman reached the small stage her father gave her away and Mikio was only brought back to reality when the minister started the ceremony. Mikio and Izumi simply stared into each other's eyes as the minister spent a little time talking about love surviving all trials and even time apart before he moved onto the vows.

"Izumi Kaneko, do you take Mikio Taniguchi to be your lawfully wedded husband, in good times and bad, in sickness and in health?" the man asked as he looked to the bride.

"I do," the auburn haired young woman replied with a soft smile and a poorly hidden excitement as she slipped the simple gold band onto Mikio's finger.

"Mikio Taniguchi, do you take Izumi Kaneko to be your lawfully wedded wife, in good times and bad, in sickness and in health?" the minister asked looking to the groom.

"I do," the bleach blonde said with the same badly masked excitement in his tone, the nerves he'd felt early completely gone as he slipped a matching gold band onto his wife's hand.

The minister finished the ceremony in proper form and announced to the crowd that they were married which was followed by a huge amount of applause from the crowd of both family and friends. Mikio and Izumi walked back down the aisle and off to where Mikio had been sequestered to wait for the other members of the wedding party, a few family members and the photographer. Once the photographer finished with them Mikio and Izumi got into their Aristo's back seat with Satoshi at the wheel. Gavin and Reiko followed in his FD while Nika and Tatsuo were behind them with the Maid of Honor in the back seat of Sakura Sasaki's Aristo.

When they arrived everyone lined up to be announced as they should, Reiko and Gavin entering first followed by Nika and Tatsuo, then Satoshi and the woman chosen as Maid of Honor. After the wedding party was standing in front of most of the crowd the newlyweds were announced as Izumi and Mikio entered the small reception hall. After Satoshi gave a rather nice speech about their past, the couple shared their first dance to a small string quartet led by Tatsuo on his cello. While Izumi and her father shared their dance everyone else was either filling their plates from the buffet tables or watching on.

"They look like they've practiced a bit for this," Gavin chuckled as Izumi twirled into her father's arms.

"It's possible," Nika replied with a similar chuckle, "Think you and Reiko will need any practice for your wedding reception?"

"Oh, that's at minimum our season away, we have time," the buzz cut blonde said with a joking tone, "It's more likely that you and Tatsuo will be married first."

"I wouldn't say that if I were you, it's barely been two months and Reiko's talking about where you two will be going on your honeymoon," the brown haired young woman replied with a laugh, "Besides, I think of Tatsuo and I as already married, we're living in the same house, sharing the bills, driving to work together in the mornings, all that good stuff in the bedroom too."

"I didn't need to know that last bit there Sis, I like Tatsuo and all, but that's too much."

"Sorry, got carried away," the brown haired young woman replied with a slight blush on her cheeks, "Why did you just call me Sis?"

"Well with you being 'married' to Tatsuo and with me marrying Reiko, you are technically my sister in law too," Gavin replied trying not to bust out laughing at Nika's stunned appearance as Reiko rejoined them after getting her plate.

"He called you Sis didn't he?" the curly black haired young woman stated more than asked as she put the plate on a close by table.

"I couldn't help myself, it was well worth it though to see that face," Gavin replied allowing Nika time to recollect herself.

The three continued talking amongst themselves until Tatsuo also joined them and they all stepped onto the dance floor for a dance or two before Mikio and Izumi decided to cut the cake. Both of Izumi's younger sisters got to dance with Tatsuo and Gavin while Kitamura got to dance with Reiko for one song causing a few laughs from the crowds. Being a grand total of 34 years old between all three of the younger group, Nika didn't mind losing her dance partner to a younger woman.

After the party had been on for about an hour Mikio announced they'd be cutting the cake. The groomsmen were able to clear a path so the photographer could get through to take pictures of the three tiered cake and the couple. Neither Mikio nor Izumi tried to make a mess of the other but a good laugh did arise when the groom's cake showed up in the shape of Mikio's very own Lan-Evo VI.

Once the ceremonious event neared its end Izumi threw the bouquet straight to Nika since she was the only one not married or close to getting married in the group that was standing around.

"You know that means you have to marry my brother right?" Reiko teased as they walked out behind the bride and groom.

"I intend to, just not till later," Nika replied with a smile.

The newlyweds walked out of the reception hall in a shower of bubbles that were left on the tables for everyone. No one even knew when the bridal party had snuck out to decorate the newlywed's Aristo, but there were countless bows and streamers everywhere on it. 'Izumi Taniguchi' was written on the lower portion of the rear driver's window with 'I've got my Misses degree' written underneath while 'Mikio Taniguchi' was on the passenger's rear window underlined by 'Man down'. On the back of the car there was a big bow in the trunk lid where it closed and on the back window was written 'Just Married' with a few other small things like 'congratulations', 'In love', and 'honk for love'. Mikio helped Izumi into the car and made sure her train was out of the way before climbing in on the other side. Satoshi took the wheel and the car drove out of the small parking area leaving the guests and the rest of the wedding party to decide for themselves what to do next.

"Where are they headed now?" Nika asked as she and her teammates watched the car leave their site.

"Over to the coast, they didn't want to go too far so Mikio could continue his training if it became necessary," Gavin replied as they came back into the building.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Two days after Mikio and Izumi's wedding Gavin got some news that had him a bit troubled. He had left without telling his fiancée that he was leaving and went to Akina for a few runs down the pass, but it didn't help settle his mind at all. It was a little past two in the morning when he noticed a set of headlights flashing in his rear view mirror. The buzz cut blonde pulled over and came to a stop after noticing it was the Night Wolves' one and only white S15.

"What has you pulling me over tonight Makato-kun?" Gavin said as the black haired man stepped from the S15.

"I should be asking what you're doing at Myogi at two in the morning," Makato answered with a chuckle, "You were headed this way when I spotted you so I spun around and came after you."

"I honestly didn't know I was, been running without thinking about where," the buzz cut blonde replied seeming a little distant, "Had too much else on my mind."

"Well, sounds to me like you should be in Akina," the Night Wolves leader said with another small chuckle.

"I was there, I think it was around midnight, scared the hell out of a couple of the Street Kings for sure, but it didn't help, I think I've lost touch with my mountain."

"Well I'll race you tonight, being the fastest active downhiller in Gunma, let's see what your professional training can do against the title holder. And if that doesn't help clear your head, maybe you should talk it over with Reiko."

"Reiko knows about all of it, she doesn't understand why it's bothering me as much as it is; to be honest I'm not sure why it bugs me so much, so let's race and we'll see what comes of it," Gavin said shaking his head before climbing back into his FD.

When the two cars reached the summit Gavin let Makato do the count before they launched onto Myogi's only uphill corner in the downhill course. The FD's power allowed the car to slip into the lead as the S15 struggled to keep up. When Gavin finally let out of the throttle at the first hairpin a serious gap had opened between himself and Makato.

As he slid through the first hairpin he watched the S15 nose dive and then slide out in an attempt to close the gap. It worked temporarily. Through the next two hairpins the gap closed almost completely because Gavin was watching Makato more than the road.

'_He's cleaned up his lines since the last time I watched him,' _Gavin thought as he watched the white S15, _'Got some new moves too.'_

As the FD flew into one of the faster sections of the course the S15 managed to stay on its bumper. When the two cars reached the next hairpin Makato slid along the inside when Gavin started to slide out of the best line, taking the lead from the FD driver.

"Crap, I really must be bad off to make a mistake like that," Gavin muttered as he pushed the FD closer to the S15's rear bumper.

Makato and his S15 began to open the gap slightly through the next few corners. As he did this he braced for any attack that might come from the higher powered FD, but nothing came till they cleared the next set of hairpins. The 20B roared to its peak through the faster section and was easily able to pass the S15, flying around the next hard left at nearly suicidal speeds. Gavin was pinned to his seat by the g-forces as he prayed the car would stick to the proper path as he continued down the pass. The leader of the Night Wolves immediately picked up the change in pace as this friendly run down the pass turned into a true race for the final section of the downhill course. The S15's engine roared to its peak as well and started closing the gap millimeter by millimeter any place it could.

As the two cars flew into the last hairpins in the course Gavin's lead was only a couple of feet as Makato fought hard to keep up. Going through the first hairpin the FD hit a slick spot in the road causing it to slide out further than it should allowing Makato to once again take the lead spot. The S15 stayed out in front of the FD as they both cleared the second hairpin, but the FD moved alongside turning the next hard right corner into a game of chicken to see who would brake first and let the other take the fastest line.

'_Come on FD, don't let me down now,' _Gavin thought as he watched Makato's S15 fall behind him right before the corner.

The toreador red machine turned nearly sideways right before the corner allowing it to slow down enough before the buzz cut blonde corrected the angle and flew through the corner with the throttle pinned to the floor as he shouted out in triumph before the last left hander. Makato watched with a wide smile on his face as he tailed the FD around the last corners of the course to the line.

Once the two men were out of their cars in the lower parking area Gavin seemed a little less than happy about a victory over the Night Wolves leader.

"You had a decent idea Makato and it was fun racing you, but it didn't help clear my head," the FD driver said as he leaned against the toreador red machine.

"So unload, what has you so worked up that you're in Myogi three hours before a training session?" the black haired man asked leaning on his own white S15.

"My Dad's been reposted, my parents are going back stateside, problem is I'll be getting dressed for the first race of the season when they're getting on the plane," Gavin said with a hint of sadness in his tone.

"Dude, they're your parents, they know you love them, but you've lived out of their care for how long? And for the last two years at least your team has been your family," Makato said sounding slightly angry at the other man, "I'm not going to tell you that missing that send off is a good thing, but I'm sure they know why you can't be there," he added sounding a little calmer.

"But the fact that it's bothering me so much is what's making things difficult, I just don't understand why I feel like they're never coming back," the buzz cut blonde responded, "I know they are, they've already promised that they'll be here for mine and Reiko's wedding and even the championship race, even if we aren't in the running."

"How old were you when you came to Japan?" the Night Wolves leader asked sounding slightly confused now.

"I was thirteen when we moved to Japan, I was nineteen when I left the base and moved to Shibukawa."

"You've never been more than a phone call and a few hours' drive from them. This is the first time they'll be in a completely different place on the map isn't it?"

"Yeah, if you don't count vacations at Grandma and Grandpa's house in a different state that is."

"See there it is, you've never been too far from family, now they're going to be in a different country and you're feeling like you have no one left to turn to if things go shitty right?"

"When the hell did you get all psychoanalytic?" the buzz cut blonde asked with a chuckle as his mood started to lighten.

"I'm a business major with a psych minor, thought you knew that," the Night Wolves leader replied with a small chuckle.

"How would I know that? I barely know what to expect from you anymore, especially after that stunt you pulled at Myogi on New Years with Takako," Gavin replied seriously.

"Okay the thing with Takako was just funny as hell, we both enjoyed the faces you guys made but I was warned later not to do it again without warning," Makato answered with badly contained laughter.

"So what's the deal with you two right now anyway? It's been a couple months since new year."

"We're just friends, after I unloaded to her the night of the rematch races about my old man she and I started talking more outside the race scene. I honestly wouldn't mind if it turned into more, she's a sweet girl, but I think the age difference might get in the way."

"What age difference? I thought you two were close to the same age."

"Well I let you get away with calling me with the wrong honorific since you didn't know how old I really am and because you guys were so much better at the whole racing thing, but I'm older than Taniguchi-kun and I don't mean Kitamura either," Makato answered with a small chuckle, "I didn't even know Takako is only twenty-two now until after the rematch races against that team from Saitama."

"How much older? Because if you're in your thirties you look good," Gavin said with a chuckle of his own.

"Almost, I'm twenty eight and I graduate from my college courses two days before the season starts, so I'll still be there," the black haired man said sounding a little nervous about confessing his true age.

"Well, as Frank Sinatra might say, as long as you're young at heart," the buzz cut blonde laughed.

The two men went their separate ways thinking about what the other had said and contemplating a few ideas of what might come to pass. When Gavin arrived at his apartment, Reiko was standing in the living room in her nightgown and robe with a phone in hand and a worried look on her face that quickly shifted to happiness and quicker still to pure anger upon seeing her fiancé in one piece.

"Where were you?" the curly black haired young woman said as calmly as she could muster to hide the fury that was in her eyes, "You go out at near midnight, stay out till almost three in the morning without your phone and without telling me where you were going. You had me scared to death when I woke up and you weren't here."

"Reiko, I just needed to clear my head, I've been driving all over half of Gunma with no destination in mind, ended up going to Akina then Myogi where I ran into Makato," Gavin replied apologetically as he stepped toward her, she took a step back as he did, "He offered a friendly run down the pass and we talked a bit in the lower parking lot after, that's all that's happened tonight, if you don't believe me call Shou and Makato."

"I already did, Shou-san said you were at Akina around midnight and scared two of his guys, I just got off the phone with Makato-san and he said he didn't see you till an hour ago," Reiko said starting to show a little anger, "It's not that far to Myogi and no one knows where you were."

"Honey, I don't even know where I was, I didn't know I was at Myogi till Makato told me," her fiancé responded showing his own annoyance, "If you're thinking I was out running around on you, think twice and then think again, I've NEVER cheated on my girlfriends, even if they cheated on me and I would most certainly never cheat on the woman I JUST asked to marry me and love more than all of them combined."

"I never said that."

"But you were thinking it. Reiko you've known me for next to five years and three girlfriends, I'm loyal to a fault and you know it, I love you Reiko, I would rather cut off my leg than hurt you because that would hurt me less."

"I hate it when you do that," the curly black haired young lady said quietly while looking at her feet, "Always when I find a reason to be angry with you, you remind me why I love you in the first place."

"I'm easy on the eyes, what can I say?" Gavin said jokingly trying to lighten the mood a little.

"It's more than that, you're always so damn willing to do for others before yourself, you'd never think twice of leaving this apartment and moving into some house that's way too big for just us on some hill in the middle of nowhere if I asked you to," Reiko said leaving most of her earlier anger out of her still quiet tone, "Blow off training to go see a movie with Tatsuo and Mikio, or just going out to a mountain because some team leader asks to see a trick you pulled one night."

"Just remember this, I won't leave you till the day you ask me to," the buzz cut blonde said finally able to take her in his arms and hug her close, "Should that day come, know that I will probably die of heart break."

"Why do you love me?" Reiko asked quietly into his chest.

"I don't know, there are so many reasons I fear to list them for I don't want to leave any out, but I know it's real because having you angry at me just now was agony," her fiancé answered in a whispered tone, "Tomorrow night I'm turning my phone off and staying right here for the night."

Two hours later Gavin showed up at Ryosuke's school looking a little worse for wear. Ryosuke told him to get some sleep in the motor home after getting ready and that he'd be on third run since Mikio was there. A journalist was trackside just after training officially started to build profiles for his publishers to put in a special issue of the magazine as well.

Reiko took the first round with the NSX and was doing the standard ten warm up laps along the throttle course alone. Tatsuo was chasing her in the FD while Nika was getting interviewed and Mikio was helping out in the garage area. Nika answered the questions as best she knew how, leaving the fact that Tatsuo and herself were living together out for the sake of not having to explain their current situation as they'd previously agreed.

"So, Mr. Reynolds, since you're not in the car right now, mind giving me a few minutes of your time?" the reporter asked politely as Gavin stepped out of one of the bedrooms.

"Can you walk and talk? I need a cup of coffee," Gavin asked jokingly as he walked past the journalist.

"I'll do my best, so the standards first," The man said with a chuckle, "Name, age, birth place, hometown, and relationship status."

"Gavin Reynolds, I just turned 24, I can't remember where I was born, Shibukawa is home, and I'm engaged to Reiko Sasaki," the buzz cut blonde said pouring a cup of coffee, "You want a cup?"

"No thank you. Would you mind explaining the comment about your birthplace?"

"My Dad is in the air-force, we moved a lot when I was younger because of that is all. I remember most of the places we lived, just can't remember which place I was born."

"I see, and does your fiancée call Shibukawa home as well?"

"You can ask her that when she comes off the track," Gavin said not liking the tone the reporter had used.

The rest of the interview Gavin answered as honestly as he was willing, eventually thinking of the reporter as an idiot for not making the connection that his fiancée was the other GT500 driver before Reiko came in wearing the team's red, blue and gold fire suit and hugging the blonde before informing him that Mikio was on his tenth lap of 20.

"You must be the future Mrs. Reynolds," the reporter said with a chuckle.

"That's me alright, I hope Gavin didn't give you too much trouble," Reiko said leaning on the blonde slightly as he held her.

"Well, how should I put your name in the magazine ma'am?"

"Reiko Reynolds," Gavin answered with a small chuckle.

"May as well, I have no intention of leaving him, or asking him to leave," the curly black haired young woman said with a smile as she turned to face the reporter.

"What does that mean exactly?"

"He told me last night that even though he may be willing to do things for others, he would never leave me unless I asked him to and that if that day ever came he would die of heartbreak," Reiko replied with a wide happy smile as she repeated Gavin's words.

"That's very romantic of you Mr. Reynolds. Can I ask if you'll change the names on the cars before the season starts to match your relationship?"

"If we have time to get all the paperwork filled out to change her license and the registered names with the commission then yes it will get done before the season, if not it will probably be done before the second race," Gavin replied with a smirk at Reiko's surprised face, "Our team manager and owners are trying to straighten things out as we speak."

Once the reporter was done with the two of them Gavin took his seat in the GT500 NSX, floating on cloud nine as he'd just pulled the biggest surprise he'd ever had in mind. Ryosuke noticed the difference in the young man's driving as the blonde broke the current GT500 track record in his second lap, easily catching and passing the GT300 FD that Nika was in at the moment. Everyone with a radio in their ear could hear him quietly humming a tune that no one seemed to know.

'_If this is what he's like when he's really on his game, we haven't seen him drive yet,'_ Keisuke thought as the NSX cleared the first corner of its third lap as a red and gold blur.

Gavin was in the seat tapping the wheel lightly as he drove without thinking about his lines or how fast he was going. His mind was completely on the good mood he was in thanks to his being able to surprise Reiko as he flew through the long s-turn. When he cleared the long straight after the s-turn he backed off the throttle and allowed the car to coast around the long u-turn that preceded the long two hundred and seventy degree right handed loop turn.

"Mr. Reynolds, feel free to continue the show you were just putting on any time," Keisuke's voice came through the radio with a chuckle as the blonde came out of the long u-turn.

The NSX's engine screamed out as the blonde young man floored the throttle till about halfway through the loop, where the engine noise died away. The red and gold machine slid off its line slightly before the engine once again screamed and the tail slid out in a wickedly fast drift that Gavin managed to switch the angle on and slide clear through the left handed u-turn after the loop. By the time he'd gotten the car back under his control he was glad the radio hadn't picked up his swearing.

"I didn't do that, I'm coming in early, the tach dropped to zero before spiking, my foot never left the throttle," Gavin said slowing way down allowing the FD to close the gap.

"Understood, we'll get the spare out," Keisuke said snapping his finger a couple times sending the crew members into high gear to go get the other car, "Having any trouble since?" he asked as the NSX on the track entered the first of the long straights just behind the FD.

"No but I'd feel better if I could take a shorter route, I'm going to up the pace, see if it does it again; I may have just pulled all the fuel away from the pump with the G-forces," the buzz cut blonde said with a chuckle.

"These tanks are designed so that can't happen Mr. Reynolds, you've been told that already," the spiky bleach blonde said with a chuckle, "But if you're willing, give it a go."

With that the engine of the NSX once again screamed to its peak and flew through the right handed hairpin at the end of the straight, closing the gap that had built up between it and the FD. There was a slight hiccup as he cleared the left handed v-turn after the second long straight, but nothing happened at the last right handed u-turn. He had no further trouble through the last three long corners of the course, but when he was about to enter pit lane, the NSX stalled completely right at the entrance and refused to restart. Once the crew had managed to get the car off the track and to the first box in pit lane Gavin climbed out and switched into the spare for the remainder of his laps, setting two more track records. While the mechanics worked on the first line car, Tatsuo was being interviewed by the journalist.

The day continued as it always did when a record was set by one driver, the others were pulled into the competition and new records were set by all at some point during their remaining laps. The reporter wasn't allowed to talk to anyone but Fumihiro until after the training session was over with to make sure no one was distracted at a possibly critical moment.

Once the training session was called to an end Keisuke and Takumi kept the journalist at bay, answering questions about their last seasons as drivers in the series they had now become team managers in. Mikio was the first out of the motor home forcing him to talk to the journalist for a few moments before he could sneak away back to his honeymoon on the coast.

"Mr. Reynolds, now that training is over what do you think happened to your car?" the reporter asked as the blonde stepped out of the motor home.

"I'm not sure, but we've been using these cars to train in for nearly a year so my guess is that at this point we've just started wearing out some of the parts that don't regularly get changed out, the fuel pump in this case," Gavin answered with a chuckle, "Things like this happen once in a while, nothing can predict it so why worry about it?"

"Very good outlook on the event. Your manager tells us that you're not always the first one setting the records like you did today, can you say who has started more of these record setting days?"

"Not really, it's hard to keep track of who sets what records since there are five of us, two cars and two sets of records."

"Now that you mention it, your team's test driver, Mikio Taniguchi was driving in both cars today, is there a reason behind that?"

"It started out as a way for him to get quick mechanical training after coming back when we were just students here, then we just kind of fell into the habit of letting him drive," Tatsuo answered honestly from behind the reporter, "He's actually the one that started the last record day we had."

"You and your teammates seem very calm about having someone from the press here, most team drivers are a little bit standoff-ish about being interviewed," the reporter said as he turned off his tape recorder after a couple more questions about the team in general.

"Well, being raised in a military family you get good at hiding nervousness," Gavin chuckled, "And Tatsuo here has always been a diplomat, he knows how to talk to people."

"Yeah, Nika and Reiko are the same way as I am, Mikio…" Tatsuo paused for a moment to think, "I'm not sure why he's so calm today, must be married life," he said with a laugh.

"I have to ask, completely off the record, Tatsuo-kun did you know that your future brother in law here is working to have your sister's name changed on the cars?"

"I had absolutely no idea," the black haired man answered with a shocked smile.

"Had to come out sometime, especially since it may not get done before the season starts," Gavin said with a smile of his own and a small shrug.

"Oh I talked to my boss, he said I should tell you that we can't legally print Ms. Sasaki's name as Reynolds unless you're already married, I'm guessing you've heard the same thing from the FIA about her license," the reporter said with an apologetic tone, "Might I recommend a small legal wedding by a judge before the season, just to get rid of some of the red tape?"

"I'm going to recommend the same thing Mr. Reynolds, FIA says no go on the name change without a legal document saying her name has changed," Ryosuke said from behind the reporter, "Can I at least know what brought this idea to me this morning?"

"Reiko and I had a fight last night, first one, hopefully the only one about the subject, thought this would be a good way to prove I was sincere," the buzz cut blonde said nervously.

"Wait, you mean to tell me this was a plan to get back in my sister's good graces? Gavin I should smack the hell out of you," Tatsuo said seriously, "You couldn't get out of her good graces unless you cheated on her."

Gavin's whole body tensed up and his eyes went wide for a split second, but it was long enough for Tatsuo to notice. The black haired man's attitude shifted after seeing this.

"You didn't," the man said in an unbelieving tone and looking as though he was ready to beat his teammate into the ground, "Please tell me you didn't."

"I would never Tatsuo, you know better, but she was thinking it up till I came home at three o'clock this morning," the buzz cut blonde replied with an equally serious tone, "I was out driving, nothing more."

Ryosuke pulled the reporter away while Tatsuo interrogated Gavin about everything he'd done the night before. The reporter left after informing Fumihiro that if they managed to get Reiko's name legally changed before the magazine went to print he'd change the name and relationship status of both drivers in the article and that the photographer would be by a little later that day.

Gavin took a few laps on the F1 course with the donated black Toyota Supra while Tatsuo chased him in the donated orange S15 after being convinced of his teammate's innocence. While in the cars the two men discussed what Gavin should do about his plan to change Reiko's name on the cars, coming up at the same ends of just going ahead and doing the quick and easy ceremony before the season. At least then Gavin's parents would be available for the ceremony and wouldn't have to come back until the championship race saving them money and his father's authorized leave time.

When they came off the track David Crandon was standing trackside with Ryosuke and Keisuke, Reiko and Nika were with the photographers and no one could get Mikio on the phone to get him back to the training facility. Tatsuo immediately made a call from his cell phone; the bleach blonde not only answered but said he'd be there as fast as the law allowed.

"Now why doesn't he jump like that for us?" Kyoko asked with a sarcastic tone.

"He never put the school's number in his phone, he didn't know who was calling," Tatsuo answered with a shrug before going with Gavin to the motor home to meet the photographer.

When Mikio finally got back the photographer had just enough daylight to take a couple pictures of the whole team as well as a few of just the five drivers and the cars for the school's main hall at Keisuke's request and payment. The students left going over what was said to the journalist and where to have dinner before going home for the night.

Two weeks later Makato Fujimoto, leader of the Myogi Night Wolves, was checking out a special edition of the very magazine that the Takahashi Racing Team was interviewed by. He wasn't surprised when Nika and Tatsuo only claimed a dating status, but when he caught sight of the married status of both Reiko and Gavin he nearly fell off his S15's hood. Takako pulled in just in time to see the little blunder of her friend and got out of her R34 laughing before he simply pushed the magazine into her hands. Makato called Shou Enomoto, leader of the Akina Street Kings, who in turn called Matsuda and the leaders of all the Gunma teams to get them to the Takahashi Racing School to see what the article meant. The leaders of both the Akagi Blue Fire and the Usui Sparks had seen the article and were just as curious as Makato. The members of the 3R3, still showing little interest and a great deal of resentment towards the team, refused to join in.

Gavin was just turning the NSX over to Mikio when he watched a silver R32 lead a whole string of cars into the parking area, quickly recognizing them all as the lead cars of every major street team in Gunma. The buzz cut blonde went to the building's locker room to get Reiko while the drivers of that line of cars just watched the training session.

"I guess you're here to ask about the article?" Izumi asked from the observation tower as the Gunma team leaders came closer.

"That and to see the training grounds, the article gave the address that no one else would," Shou laughed looking up at the woman.

"Well, Gavin and Reiko can show you around while answering your questions," the auburn haired young woman said pointing to the couple walking up behind the group, "Just be sure at least Reiko gets back before Mikio finishes his laps."

"So, why weren't we invited to the wedding?" Makato asked after noting the wedding bands on both Gavin and Reiko's hands.

"Not many were, Mikio, Izumi, Tatsuo, Nika, my parents and hers," Gavin answered with a half a smile, "It was a civil ceremony to get it legally done as quickly as possible, we're still waiting on her new FIA license, but we've already changed the names on the cars, her driver's license and the title to her RX-8."

"It was also mostly to go ahead and be married before Gavin's parents went back to America," Reiko added with a smile, "We are still talking about having a show wedding for the families and friends, just not sure when, if it happens at all."

"Well do be sure my boyfriend and I are invited to that," Takako said snaking an arm around Makato's.

The only eyes in the parking lot that didn't get wider were Gavin's while Makato just tried to keep a straight face. When everyone recovered from the initial shock Gavin simply held out a hand which Makato shook.

"Young at heart eh, Makato?" the buzz cut blonde said with a wide smile causing both men to bust out laughing and confusion to yet again befall the rest of the people there.

Reiko was called back to the cars leaving her husband to lead the group around the school. The buzz cut blonde continuously answered questions about the school as he led them through the building but no one in the group could utter a sound when he showed them the donated cars from David's team and the other two Super GT cars. After seeing the Gunma team leaders off Gavin rejoined the training session as though none of them had been there until Keisuke and Takumi asked for an explanation.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

As the next two weeks quickly passed the Takahashi Racing Team practiced even harder than before; even the pit crew was running drills while the drivers weren't even near the cars. Ryosuke was keeping close tabs on the health of his team, and Fumihiro and Natsuki were keeping an eye on everything else. Two days before they were to go to Suzuka for the opening race of the season Ryosuke gave his whole team two days off to rest while the support staff went to the track and started setting things up. When the team arrived at Suzuka the paddock was already crowded with people from multiple racing series. Hardly any of them could contain their excitement since this would be their debut race.

Just after open practice had ended for the Super GT series on the first day of the race weekend, the drivers of the team were in their motor home watching their laps of the course. Mikio was helping Kyoko and Wataru get the cars ready for qualifying the next day. When there was a knock at the door Gavin paused the film and called whoever it was in.

"Good to see you're making good use of your off track time," an older man with short jet black hair said with a chuckle from just inside the doorway.

"Hiro-san, Ryosuke-san said you might be dropping in on this race," Tatsuo said with a polite bow after recognizing the man.

"Well, Motegi gets kind of boring when there is nothing going on," Hiro replied with a chuckle, "I'd like to officially introduce you to someone."

The black haired man motioned towards the taller brown haired man behind him who'd been silent up till then.

"I do hope you recognize me from when we met in Motegi last year," the man said with a smile, "I believe it was Reynolds-kun here that pulled me into second place after he took the lead."

"You drove the blue SC430 then?" Gavin asked trying to remember the team's name.

"Glad to see I'm remembered for something even though I was on last year's championship team," the brown haired man replied with a chuckle before he continued, "My teammate and I weren't exactly pleased with losing, it was our press officer that was rather rude during the post race press conference," he added with a slightly apologetic tone.

"Well since names seem out of your reach, Gavin Reynolds, Reiko Sasa…sorry Reynolds, Nika Mahara and Tatsuo Sasaki," Hiro said with a chuckle as he pointed out each of the members of the Takahashi Racing Team that were present, "This is Kanzaki-san."

"Well, how are things with your team?" Tatsuo asked once Hiro had left them to take a phone call.

"Not too bad," Kanzaki replied with a small smile, "I read the profiles in that magazine a couple weeks ago, said that the two GT500 drivers of this team were married, so I figured I'd come by and congratulate you two," he said with a kind smile towards Reiko and Gavin.

"Thanks, I read in the same magazine that your wife is pregnant with your…" Reiko paused trying to think of the number.

"Second child," Kanzaki supplied with a warm tone and a happy smile of his own.

"Well congratulations to you as well then," Tatsuo said shaking the older man's hand.

"Listen, I know it's not exactly a good thing to wish luck to an opponent but," the brown haired man paused for a moment, "Good luck to you all on race day."

"Thank you Kanzaki-san, good luck to you and your wife as well," Tatsuo said with a sly smile that caused everyone to laugh.

Kanzaki left the motor home allowing the team to get back to watching the track videos. Gavin cooked a good size meal for the whole team in the motor home's galley kitchen before everyone turned in for the night. Gavin and Reiko were spending the weekend in their separate bedrooms as per the team rules even though they were married. Natsuki and Izumi spent the night in one of the trackside hotels along with the few non-essential personnel on the team.

When Gavin got onto the track for the first qualifying laps, he noticed a few slick spots in the track surface as he made his way through the first lap. Taking note of each of the spots he dodged them without losing time through his second and third laps. Reiko did the same through all three of her laps and that managed to get them in fifth place in the starting grid for the GT500 after the other drivers had done their qualifying laps. Tatsuo and Nika managed a respectable fifth in the GT300 since Nika hit one of the slicker spots on the track and lost just enough time to lose both third and fourth as the qualifying went on.

"You did well for your first time in a huge crowd. Just remember what you've learned in your training and you'll be just fine tomorrow," Ryosuke said looking over his drivers as they seemed to sulk about the motor home.

After Ryosuke left them to oversee the work the mechanics were doing, Gavin and Nika turned in so they'd be ready to start the race the next day. Reiko and Tatsuo sat at the small table in front of the berths that the mechanics would use once they stopped working. Mikio was still with the mechanics and he was rather enjoying the job.

"I'm nervous about tomorrow brother," Reiko said quietly as she sat across from her brother.

"I am too sister, we have the race on us tomorrow, but we'll be fine as long as we keep our heads," Tatsuo replied in the same quiet tone.

"I just hope things go as well as they did in Motegi," the black haired girl said playing with one of the many curls in her hair, "I'm going to turn in."

Reiko got up and walked towards the room where Gavin was sleeping before she realized what she was doing and turned towards the other door. Tatsuo sat for a few more minutes until turning in himself. He was able to hear the mechanics come in before he fell into a peaceful sleep. The next morning all of the drivers were pulled into the pre-race meeting and were only slightly annoyed to hear that it would be raining by the time the race was to start.

"Reynolds-kun, my wife had the idea of inviting you and your wife to dinner after the race. She wants to meet the people who beat the reigning champions," Kanzaki said with a slight chuckle as the two men walked out of the building behind a few other drivers.

"I'm sure she'd enjoy it Kanzaki-san, I'll talk it over with her before starting time and have the team's press officer let your wife know," Gavin said with a smile.

Once everything was settled and the cars were on the starting line the first signs of rain showed. It was only a drizzle that would not delay the start, but it set all the teams on edge. Gavin and Nika weaved back and forth getting what feel they could for the wet track surface any chance they could. When the cars were lined up in their places along the starting grid once again the rain started getting a little heavier.

'_I get the feeling this is going to be a hell of a start,'_ Gavin thought as he sat waiting for the lights to turn green.

Nika was in the GT300 pack as the two drivers felt their adrenaline levels begin to rise. When the lights turned green it was a mad dash to the first corner. Gavin managed to get by the fourth place driver on the outside of the right handed corner before flying into the next tighter right hander. Nika found herself stuck behind two cars that were so busy blocking her in they were starting to lose ground against the rest of the pack as they flew through the five s-curves.

"This is ridiculous, I can't open up the throttle," Nika said with a determined scowl on her face.

"Make a hole then, just like you'd do with an opponent in the mountain, push them into a mistake," Takumi replied through the radio.

When the FD hit the long Dunlop curve, the NSX was entering Degner curve just behind the third place SC430. Gavin was fighting off his own nerves as well as the black NSX he'd stolen fourth place from. When they flew into the ninth corner and through the short underpass the sky let loose and began raining buckets. Gavin saw a small opening and decided to give his luck a shot. At the tenth corner, a quick right hander, the SC430 hit a slick spot and slid out allowing the NSX just enough room to slide by right before the left handed hairpin putting him in third.

As Nika reached the underpass she could barely see through all the water spraying off the tires of the two cars in front of her. But Takumi was on the ball and gave her exactly what she needed to slide by through the very apex of the tenth corner and start chasing the rest of the cars in front of her. She managed to spot Gavin's NSX flying up the other side of the hairpin as she floored the throttle in an attempt to keep her own third position and to try and catch her teammate.

'_Come on FD let's show them what we've got,' _Nika thought as the two cars of the Takahashi Racing Team flew through the extremely long right handed curve before the Spoon Curve.

The FD managed to close the gap on her opponent through the long curve but was unable to get by no matter what she tried as they got closer and closer to the Spoon Curve. The NSX was just entering the thirteenth corner, first of the Spoon Curve's corners, as the fourth place SC430 managed to retake its position putting Gavin back into the fourth position.

"Damnit!" Gavin shouted as they pushed through the fourteenth corner and into the long straight.

"It's only the first lap, no need to worry yet Gavin-kun," Keisuke's voice said through the radio.

Gavin remembered his place and let off the throttle allowing only a small gap to open up before the Casino Triangle. Nika got the same reminder as she was passed on the straight by one of the cars that had been so intent on blocking her in. As the laps began to rack up Gavin managed to get into the second position before the driver change out; Nika managed to hold onto her fourth position. When Reiko took her place in the NSX she was still in second position as she rejoined the track. Something went wrong during Nika and Tatsuo's change out; one of the tire changers spun the lugs off of the new tire by accident. This slip up put them near the back of the GT300 pack.

Tatsuo fought hard for the first couple laps to stay out of last place before he was finally able to start making his way through the pack one at a time chasing an invisible NSX through the field. Reiko on the other hand wasn't faring so well, she was under the constant attack of Kanzaki and his blue SC430. Eventually she was passed cleanly on the inside of the fifth s-curve. She didn't see the second NSX but Keisuke's warning kept her from driving right over it trying to get on the SC430's rear bumper.

"Think they'll pull this off?" Izumi asked as the two cars' positions were clearly marked on the screen in front of her and Gavin.

"No idea, even if they don't it's going to put us on the map after those first laps of mine and Tatsuo's," the buzz cut blonde said tugging at his dog tags a little as he watched his new wife fly around the hairpin.

"I'm sure you've got more confidence in Reiko-san than that, she is holding fourth place right now," the auburn haired woman said with a small smile.

"I do, but this is the real thing and this race falls on her shoulders, what's worse is she knows that."

"You think her nerves will cause a problem?"

Gavin didn't reply as they watched Reiko try to pass the third place car along the outside of the fifteenth corner, a long left hander. She failed but managed to hang onto her fourth place even though there was another SC430 right on her back bumper.

Tatsuo had managed to fight his way back up to fourth place in the last corners of the penultimate lap. Reiko was holding onto hers as well. When Reiko flew through her last lap nothing could touch her from behind and the third place GT500 car, a black NSX, simply refused to give up its spot before the finish line. Tatsuo was pushing hard to catch the third place GT300 car, a bright red FD. As they came into the Casino Triangle in the last lap the blue and gold FD lost all power causing Tatsuo to panic for a moment.

"Fujiwara-san I think something's wrong, I've got my foot on the floor but she's not going anywhere fast," the black haired young man said through the radio.

"You're out of it then, move over and let the faster cars by and get into pit lane," Takumi responded with a serious tone.

"It's probably an Apex seal, I can still finish," Tatsuo said pushing his foot all the way to the floor as he came out of the seventeenth corner.

"Don't tear up my car Tatsuo-kun," Takumi's voice said sounding more serious than before, forcing the younger man to let out and pull into pit lane and since their pit box was after the finish line they actually maintained a finishing spot of two spots shy of last place.

When the race came to its official end the Takahashi Racing Team wasn't even on the podium. A few journalists came by the boxes to wish them well and congratulate them on a superb race as well as ask a few questions about the rookie team on the field. It wasn't until almost an hour later that the rain started to let up enough for all the teams to start packing up their cars and tools.

"We lost pretty spectacularly today huh?" Gavin asked no one in particular, holding his head low as the mechanics worked around him.

"There is nothing for you to be ashamed of, you ran your race, just the way you've always done," Ryosuke's voice came through the garage, "You shouldn't feel ashamed if you put up your best fight Mr. Reynolds."

"I'm not ashamed, just disappointed that I let myself get pulled along the way I did, especially in this rain," the buzz cut blonde replied seriously, "If I had waited as we all did in Motegi, we could have won."

"The future is unpredictable, the past is set in stone, learn from the past to make the future yours Reynolds-kun," Kanzaki said stepping around the corner of the garage door, "My wife is right behind me so if you and yours are ready to go, we'll go to dinner and talk about all this."

"Ryosuke-san?" Gavin said looking at his team's owner.

"Go ahead, we shouldn't need you or Reiko for the rest of the loading process," Ryosuke replied kindly, "Do you need a car?" he asked with a small smirk.

"Couldn't hurt, Reiko and I left ours at the training grounds," Gavin replied with a slightly embarrassed look.

Ryosuke simply reached into his pocket, pulling his keys out and throwing them to the younger blonde.

"Not a scratch Mr. Reynolds," the brown haired man said with a chuckle before walking out of the garage area.

"Why do I feel like I just asked my Dad for the keys to his car just to take a girl out on Saturday night?" the young blonde asked with a chuckle as he looked at the keys in his hand.

Kanzaki simply shrugged with a smile of his own before Gavin went to retrieve Reiko so they could go to dinner with one of their opponents. When they got back to the garage area Gavin had the smarts to ask which car the keys went to before trying to leave. Ryosuke surprised everyone within earshot when he told him they were the keys to his FC and that as long as he respected the car and didn't try racing it, it would be open to use after races to any of the drivers who were without a vehicle and wished to leave.

"Aniki, why did you really let Reynolds-kun borrow your FC? You barely ever let me drive that thing," Keisuke asked once everyone had gotten back to their jobs.

"He and his wife had a date with another driver and their wife, said driver and wife weren't returning to the track afterwards by my understanding, Gavin-kun and Reiko-chan are leaving with us tomorrow, meaning they'd be back at the track tonight," Ryosuke replied as though he were explaining it to a child making his brother pout just a little, "Gavin-kun left his car at the school, therefore he needed a car."

"You didn't have to be so patronizing about it you know," the spiky blonde replied with a snarky tone before going back to his own work.

Just outside the track at a small, but rather fancy restaurant Gavin and Reiko were formally introduced to Kanzaki's wife before they went inside and sat down. She was a fair appearing woman who, even though just shy of three months pregnant with her second child, was still rather slim and wearing her shoulder length black hair with a slight curl.

"Kanzaki-san, my team wanted me to extend their congratulations to you on your second place finish," Gavin said just as the waiter brought their drinks.

"Why don't we just call each other by our first names? honorifics optional since there are two married couples here," the brown haired man said with a chuckle, "Mine is Takeshi, my wife's is Kumiko, though I guess you knew that after reading the profile on me."

"Sounds like a plan to me, if you don't mind it that is Mrs. Kanzaki," the buzz cut blonde replied with utmost respect.

"It's fine young man, no need to get confused over which person someone is trying to talk to," the black haired woman replied with a kind smile.

"Now then, since that is settled what have you and your teammates been up to since Motegi?" Takeshi asked with an interested tone.

"Training mostly, we've got nearly two weeks off starting tomorrow when we get back to our training facility, what we'll do with that amount of time off who knows?" Reiko replied with a small giggle.

"I know I'm going to be making phone calls for a while tomorrow trying to track down where my folks are," Gavin said with a slightly saddened tone.

"I'm guessing they weren't at the race then," Takeshi said with a half worried tone.

"Dad got reposted, right around the time the race started he and Mom were getting on a plane to go back to America," the buzz cut blonde said with a calm tone, "Kinda hated missing the send off, want to be sure they got there okay."

"Well I'm sure they hated missing this race too, I know my father hated that he had to miss my first race as a professional," Takeshi said with a chuckle.

The two couples talked for a couple hours, Gavin and Takeshi mostly about the race while Reiko and Kumiko talked about things more interesting to the pregnant woman. When Gavin and Reiko got back to the track they noticed most of the equipment for the GT500 NSX, as well as the car itself, were already on the truck and one of the pit crew members was buttoning everything up. The main line FD was still sitting in the garage area with Wataru and Kyoko working away at it.

"What's going on?" Gavin asked after the couple was inside the garage area.

"Just trying to figure out what happened to the engine, Tatsuo said it had a power fall off along with a pretty severe racket after the fall off," Kyoko answered from under the hood.

"Couldn't this wait till after we got it back to the school?" the buzz cut blonde asked leaning over the car's engine as well, Reiko shrugging the situation off and turning in for the night.

"Could have, but now it won't even turn over," the dirty blonde haired woman replied, "And the transmission is stuck in gear so we can't move it."

Gavin stepped around to the driver's door and climbed in to the cramped seat and pressing the clutch in, he figured out which gear it was stuck in before giving the shifter a solid punch in the direction of the neutral position. He gave a slight victorious huff when the shifter moved into the neutral position.

"Let's try pushing it now," he said once he'd freed himself from the car.

Wataru looked at Gavin with a confused stare as he tried to figure out what the younger man knew that they seemed not to. Kyoko closed the hood but didn't put the pins in to keep it down before Gavin let her into the driver's seat so she could steer the car. The car moved freely and was on the truck and strapped into its proper place within ten minutes.

"Okay, what did you do?" Wataru asked still staring at the FD as the gate on the truck was closing.

"Racing transmissions are sometimes a little stubborn it would seem, one solid thump and it came out of gear," Gavin said with an honest tone and a shrug, "I honestly didn't think it would work."

Wataru shook his head before telling the younger man to turn in for the night. Gavin found Mikio and Izumi in his bed already asleep so he took a couple short steps and went into Reiko's room and passed out next to his already sleeping bride.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

When they got back to Ryosuke's school Gavin started making the phone calls to see if he could track down his parents. Tatsuo and Nika kept his wife busy so he could also make reservations for their honeymoon. When he'd finally managed to get a hold of his parents he let them know the results of the race; they sent their condolences to the whole team before having to get on their connecting flight that would take them all the way to Florida.

Once the trucks and the main line FD were unloaded and in their proper places Ryosuke dismissed the drivers. Tatsuo and Nika simply went home to their apartment, Mikio and Izumi went to dinner while Gavin and Reiko went to the hotel he'd reserved for them. The mechanics stayed behind to figure out what happened to the engine of the FD. The pit crew also stayed behind and ran drills to make sure the mistake that happened during the driver change out didn't happen again.

"So what are we going to do with this little vacation of ours?" Nika asked as she and Tatsuo stepped into their apartment.

"Who knows? I look forward to sleeping for a couple days at this point," her black haired boyfriend replied just before his phone started ringing.

He dug the phone out of his pocket and threw it to Nika to answer while he started putting together their laundry.

"Tatsuo's phone, how may I help you?" the brown haired woman answered trying to speak like his secretary instead of his girlfriend.

"Nice try Mahara-san, this is Makato Fujimoto, I wanted to get together with you guys, at least try and explain why weren't at the circuit like we said we would be," the Night Wolves leader's voice came through the speaker, he sounded a little embarrassed as well as angered about the situation, "Think you and your teammates can meet us at Myogi tonight?"

"Gavin and Reiko are on their honeymoon, Mikio and Izumi I think went to Tochigi to pay a visit to their families, I guess Tatsuo and I can make it if it's really that important."

"I'd rather try and explain it in person, but if you're all I can get I'll live with it, eight o'clock, only the leaders are coming out."

Nika agreed to meet with them at Myogi later that night just before hanging up. She explained everything to Tatsuo who called Gavin and Mikio telling them only that they needed to be near a phone at eight since it was pretty much what he knew. The couple received a phone call from the school detailing that they needed to come back to the school before the end of their vacation to test the FD's new engine, but the call also included that it wasn't urgent.

When they arrived at Mt. Myogi, Makato and Takako were already in the lower parking area watching the sunlight fade away in beautiful blues and reds. The couple greeted them and added their reassurances that the team would do better in the next race to the long list they'd already gotten.

"So, can I ask what actually got you to calling Wolf boy over here your boyfriend?" Nika asked Takako with a slightly joking tone.

"Well you know that we were hanging out a bit after that Saitama team blazed through here, one night he came to Akina and just plain asked if I would be his girl," the black haired woman replied with a small laugh, "He seems to thank Gavin for the courage, though he refuses to explain the 'young at heart' comment Gavin made at the school a few weeks ago."

"Gavin likes Frank Sinatra's music, that's the title to one of his songs," Tatsuo said with a small smile of his own, "Not quite sure why he would have made the reference though."

"And I won't tell either," Makato said with a stupid grin on his face.

The conversation died off as the sounds of several engines filled the night air. The four people already in the parking area watched on as the silver R32 belonging to Shou Enomoto of the Akina Street Kings led the S13 of the Usui Sparks and the Akagi Blue Fire's leading car. Once the cars were parked the other team leaders gathered around Makato and Takako waiting to explain to Project GT why they weren't there.

"Alright Tatsuo, we've got dinner reservations so this better be quick," Gavin's voice rang through the speaker of the black haired man's phone.

"Well I'll start then," Makato said bringing attention back onto him, "We did make the race, Takako and I were at Suzuka for the whole weekend, as was Shou, but the guy letting pass holders by seemed to be in a bad mood and wouldn't let us go by."

"When we did get into the paddock Mikio was the only one we were able to talk to since it was nearly starting time, meaning Gavin-san and Nika-chan were already on the track," the leader of the Usui Sparks added with a disappointed tone, "We weren't allowed to go in the motor home to see Reiko and Tatsuo, something about you guys liking to meditate or something."

"Yeah, Tatsuo and I usually just lay out on the beds in the motor home and try and clear our heads between sets at the school, we did the same thing this weekend," Reiko's voice played through her brother's speaker phone.

"It wasn't your fault guys, some asshole doesn't let you through the gates it's on them, no worries, besides I don't think we would have had a ton of time to talk anyway," Gavin's voice rang out, "We've got to go or they're going to give up our table, later folks."

The distinct click of the phone closing was heard shortly before a dial tone came through the speaker and Tatsuo put away his phone.

"Hey Makato, if you were planning on coming to Okayama we could try talking to our press officer, have him let you guys in before practice," Mikio suggested through Nika's phone.

The conversation continued on for a few more minutes before Tatsuo looked at his watch and suggested making a few runs before clearing out for the night. Makato and Takako agreed but the remaining team leaders decided the less attention the Takahashi Racing drivers had the better.

A couple of days later Nika was getting bored at home and figured it was as good a time as any to go and reset the main line FD. Tatsuo made the call and the whole staff of the GT300 team met them at the school. As soon as they were ready they each took ten slow laps a piece to make sure everything worked proper before going up to a standard training pace.

The lap counts stayed at ten laps at a time until lunch time when Tatsuo let the tail slide out and drifted the blue and gold FD through the last long right handed u-turn on the throttle course. They parked the FD and stood talking with the pit crew for a few moments before an idea struck in Tatsuo's mind.

"Fujiwara-san, why haven't Nika and I been using the school's trainer FD for our training sessions since the season started?" the black haired young man asked after finding the older man.

"What is it you had in mind Tatsuo-kun?" the brown haired man asked not seeing the whole idea.

"Well to save our two main cars for race weekend, since it was an old apex seal that blew out in the old engine, wouldn't it be better for us to use a car that wouldn't even be taken to the race track?"

"I see what you're getting at, and I'll talk it over with Ryosuke-san before the week is over with. Now that we've got the regular car back to where it should be we don't want to break it."

"Thank you Fujiwara-san, we'll be doing a few more laps before we leave, I just got hungry," Tatsuo replied with a chuckle before heading into the school's main building to find something to eat.

Nika and Tatsuo ended up staying at the school until nearly five o'clock when his parents called inviting them to have dinner with them that night. As they drove out to the Sasaki household Tatsuo spotted a bunch of older model cars and a few new ones sitting in the parking lot of a small restaurant.

"We don't have to be at Mom and Dad's for another hour or so; you want to stop in and have a look around?" the black haired man asked slowing down so he wouldn't miss the entrance.

"Yeah sure, I think I left my camera in here after we came home from the race," Nika replied with a wide smile.

As they slowly made their way around the small parking area the race ready SE3P seemed to fit in with a good amount of the cars crowding the parking lot, but its bright Aztec Gold paint job allowed it to stand out as well. Tatsuo managed to find a parking space in the lot and parked the car with its back bumper facing the wall of the building.

"I'm going to go ahead and look around; catch up when you've done what you wanted with this thing," Nika said climbing out of the car and darting off into the crowd.

Tatsuo soon caught up with his girlfriend as she stopped to take pictures of any car she could. As they walked together looking at some of the old Nissan Fairlady Zs Tatsuo spotted a Toyota 2000GT tucked in between a pair of older Nissan Skyline R31s.

"Hey Nika, make sure you get that one," he said pointing to the car across Nika's camera lens to make sure he was seen since its viewer hadn't left her eye since he'd caught up to her.

The distinct click and shutter noise was the only conformation he received that she'd heard him at all causing him to chuckle quietly as they continued to walk along.

"Okay, you've taken your pictures, let's just walk around and enjoy this little show now huh?" the black haired man said with another chuckle pulling the camera away from Nika, "What are you going to do with all these pictures anyway?"

"I use some of them as a screensaver on my computer, others I don't really do anything with," the brown haired young woman replied with a shrug, "The photographs I do sell are usually mountain sunrises or sunsets."

They continued to talk about her photography until they reached the red Toyota again. This time something made Tatsuo pause and take a closer look at the aging machine. As he made his way around the car his mind automatically took note of a few small scratches in the paint as well as the license plate number that seemed awfully familiar to him for some reason.

"I know this car," he muttered to himself not realizing its owner was now standing next to Nika having a pleasant conversation about him, "Hey Nika, I think I've driven this car before," he added so Nika could hear him.

"I would hope it was you who drove it, you're the only other one who has, you needed a car after you crashed your RX-8 four years ago," a broad shouldered man with a kind and aging face said with a laugh.

"I only had it for a week Kayama-san," Tatsuo replied stepping up to the man and shaking his hand, "Nika Mahara, this is another friend of the family, Kayama-san."

"Nice to meet you Sir," Nika said with a short bow, "You said he crashed his SE3P four years ago, but he still has it, parked on the other side of the lot in fact," she said in a confused tone.

"He meant the first one, I wrapped it around the end of a guardrail passenger side first during one of my first races," Tatsuo replied, "Reiko and I weren't the rotary twins just yet because that car was crystal blue."

"He drove this thing for a week until the fabricators could finish the one he has parked on the other side," Kayama said with a chuckle as Nika's jaw dropped open.

"There was only like 300 of these made and you let him drive it for a week?" the brown haired young woman asked as if trying to wrap her head around the idea of it.

"I was around to buy this one new off the line young lady, I think I'm allowed to let someone drive it if it's needed," the older man said with a full hearted laugh, "Plus he did promise to stay out of the mountains with it," he added once he'd caught his breath.

"Couldn't get me to take it up there even if you paid me, I'd be afraid of what it might do," Tatsuo said with a chuckle of his own.

"A professional racer afraid of a car that couldn't go half as fast as the one he drives for a living, probably about the same for the one he races in the mountains, that really is a new one," Kayama replied causing a slight appearance of shock to appear on Nika's face, "Don't worry young lady, no one here will find it out from me, I'm a little surprised that some of them haven't recognized you already."

"We're lucky that way," Tatsuo replied, "And I'm not afraid of the speed of it, I'm afraid of how the thing handles, tried to throw me off the road once," he added with a light hearted tone.

"Mahara-chan, I know what your ruffian boyfriend's favorite car is," the owner of the 2000GT said with a quiet chuckle, "But what about you, is there a car here you wouldn't want to live without?"

"I recall her saying something about wanting a GT-R a few months back," Tatsuo replied thinking it was the proper answer.

"I drove one just before you moved in Tatsuo, I think I've fallen out of my fascination with them," Nika said with a slightly nervous tone, "My real dream car though is sitting two cars over behind Kayama-san though."

Both Tatsuo and the older man spotted a 1972 Nissan Fairlady Z dressed in arctic white. At a distance it didn't look too bad, a few small rust patches and a missing badge on the visible side, but up close it appeared to be no more than a pile of rusted panels the current owner was looking to sell. Tatsuo noted that only a phone number was given on the 'for sale' sign, he figured the owner was negotiable as to its price. Nika stood close to the car and looked it over with the same respect she looked upon the two Super GT FDs she was employed to drive.

"I had a dream of one of these sitting in the driveway and my Z33 in the garage instead of the other way around," the brown haired woman said with a small smile at the memory, "I'd probably drive the S30Z more for daily use than I would the 350Z if I had it."

Tatsuo memorized the number and inspected the car a little closer finding that most of the rust on it was surface rust, but it did have a few holes in the lower quarter panels and inner wheel wells where water, and probably snow were thrown against them. It also seemed to have a few holes in the floor pan and trunk floor but it was nothing a few patch panels and a lot of man hours couldn't fix. Also, to his surprise the car had a twin cam inline six with three carburetors and that it appeared to be completely drivable. The couple left the cruise-in shortly after in order to get to their dinner with Tatsuo's parents on time.

When they arrived back at their apartment after a surprisingly pleasant dinner with his parents and older brother, Nika immediately went to take a long shower. Tatsuo called the number on the S30Z and agreed to a reasonable price after a few minutes of haggling. He also managed to get the owner to agree to deliver it to the school where he and his girlfriend trained. When Nika came out of their bedroom dressed for bed Tatsuo's accomplished look told her that he was up to something.

"Okay, why do you look like you just moved a mountain?" the brown haired woman asked with a suspicious look in her eye.

"Managed to buy a project car for Gavin, Mikio and I to work on during downtime if we get bored," Tatsuo said with a chuckle, "Even managed to get it delivered to the school and Ryosuke-san himself said we could use any resource the school offered to get it done right."

"Uh huh, and just what made him agree to having a beat up old car in the garage?"

"Just asked him if we could use the school since none of us have a place to store it, I also made a point of mentioning that it would allow Mikio a little extra mechanical training and maybe some body working experience with Gavin's help," the black haired man replied with a chuckle.

"So you bought it for Mikio to learn?" Nika asked getting more confused than suspicious.

"Not really, bought it for the boredom that comes with having two weeks off after a race, but that was an added bonus," Tatsuo said with a slight chuckle, "Gavin and Mikio both of course have to agree to help, but I'll talk to them about it when they come back from their vacations tomorrow."

"Whatever, but if you're not home for dinner you best believe I'm eating without you," his girlfriend replied giving up trying to figure out the situation, "What did you get anyway?"

"I'll let you know," the black haired man said with a chuckle before going to take a shower.

The next day Tatsuo managed to get out of the apartment without giving up his intentions or any other information about the S30Z he'd purchased as what he'd hoped to be a championship gift for Nika. He made his way to the school to take delivery of the car and was smiling broadly as he talked to Gavin and Mikio about his little plan.

"You know keeping her out of that garage area is going to be impossible right?" Gavin's voice asked just over the drone of a rotary engine.

"We won't need to keep her out completely, just get it down to bare bones and take off any badges so she can't tell what it is," Mikio replied from the other side of the conference call.

"Still easier said than done, I'm at the school now to take delivery on the car before I go and register it in my name," Tatsuo said as he turned into the school, "Meet me here in about two hours and we should be safe."

"Tatsuo, I wish you luck in this little venture and all, but what use will I be?" Mikio's voice rang before Gavin and Tatsuo could hang up.

"You're an errand boy for two teams as it stands Mikio, the title won't change," Gavin replied with a chuckle before hanging up without a reply.

It was three hours later when Tatsuo finally got everything settled with both the previous owner of the arctic white S30Z and the licensing people. Gavin and Mikio met him at the school as promised, but as he pulled back into the parking area he noticed that Wataru and Kyoko were also waiting with his teammates. He led all of them to the space Ryosuke had allowed for this little project, explaining along the short walk what he had in mind for the work that would need to be done, basically hoping for Gavin, Mikio and himself to do most of the work themselves whenever they could. Kyoko and Wataru agreed that they would inspect the final product or help when time allowed them to.

Gavin worked alongside Wataru getting the entire front end off the car and separated so it couldn't be definitively identified. Mikio and Tatsuo worked at getting any badges that remained of the originals off the body while Kyoko went about cataloging every nut and bolt that came off or would need to be replaced.

It was just after lunch when Tatsuo called the now three hour long tear down to a stop for the day. The car stood with no doors, its engine still in place in open air since the entire front clip had been removed and all the glass was sitting in the corner well out of the way with the body panels. Kyoko made sure that everything that came off was labeled and stowed away in an empty tool box that used to hold parts for the 1967 Mazda Cosmo the school had used as a trainer car.

"So what is it you intend to do with this thing once you've got it finished Tatsuo?" Gavin asked as they all walked back towards the parking lot.

"I'll give it to Nika, it's her dream car, hopefully by the time we actually finish it she and I will have a house with a garage to put her Z33 in," the black haired man replied with a smile.

"It's going to take a lot of time to fix that thing Tatsuo-kun, how exactly do you plan to work on it when you're training?" Kyoko asked bringing to light a question on everyone's minds.

"I was thinking that since at least one of us is constantly out of the cars there would be someone on it constantly," the young man replied nervously.

"I can stay out of the cars since you guys need to train more than I do," Mikio said as they stood in the parking lot, "With some help from the maintenance staff I could do a bit that way."

"Mikio, no disrespect to what you've learned since you came back, but that's not enough to restore a car practically by yourself," Gavin said with a serious tone, "Plus you were the one who said you wanted to practice just as hard as we did when you came back."

"What if I take first run in the NSX and Nika in the FD? That leaves at least Gavin out of the cars for next to two hours, maybe more," Mikio suggested, "He does have the most mechanical experience of us."

"My mechanics is based on rotaries, I haven't really played around with anything other than Nika's 350Z and the NSX when it comes to piston engines," Gavin replied with a slight chuckle, "But it would give me a little time to do some of the required bodywork."

"We'll figure it out, but what's left of the tear down will take a while, the interior is still in it after all," Tatsuo said with a chuckle, "We've got all of next week to finish that up and order whatever parts we need."

"What about the engine? Are you rebuilding it or what? Because we don't have any equipment for that here," Wataru said pointing out yet another roadblock.

"I've got a shop that did most of the work on mine and Reiko's RX-8s. They should do it for free for me along with the transmission," the black haired man replied.

Wataru and Kyoko went back to their own business in tuning the new black NSX that Ryosuke had purchased for the practice sessions by Tatsuo's suggestion. Gavin and Mikio went to meet their wives for lunch while Tatsuo went back to the apartment he shared with Nika.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

With their second week of vacation underway most of the Takahashi Racing Team seemed to take it as an actual vacation. Tatsuo and Nika were relaxing at their apartment watching movies and such, Mikio and Izumi were hanging out with their families in Tochigi at Kitamura's request, while Reiko and Gavin were cleaning house and moving a few things about in the small apartment they shared. When Reiko's phone rang with an unidentified number it took her by surprise since while on their honeymoon she'd gotten a new phone and number.

"Hello Reiko-san, this is Takako Shinagawa of the Street Kings," the R34 driver's voice came through the phone, "I was wondering if you could come over to my place for a bit, I need a little help."

"How did you get my new number?" Reiko asked surprised completely ignoring the request.

"I called Shou, he gave up your brother's number and he gave up yours," Takako answered with a chuckle, "Will you come?"

"Well, Gavin and I were trying to rearrange the apartment, is it that important?" the curly black haired girl asked.

"It's important to Makato and me."

"You two aren't having problems are you?"

"No, nothing that serious, but he's invited me to my first black tie party and I need a little advice on what to wear," Takako answered sounding nervous.

"Give me the address, I'll be there as soon as I can," Reiko answered warmly.

Reiko took down the address and informed Gavin of her task before heading over to Takako's home. When she arrived they greeted each other and Reiko went straight to the closet in the bedroom. After digging through countless t-shirts and a few skirts she was able to find a couple of outfits.

"This would work for a nice restaurant," the curly black haired woman said laying a blue sundress on the bed, "And this would do for meeting his parents, or an interview," she said adding a full length black skirt with a pale blue blouse to the very few outfits on the bed, "Unfortunately none of this would work for black tie."

"Oh man, I really am in trouble then, the party is Saturday and I literally have nothing to wear," Takako replied flopping down on the bed on top of all the clothes.

"Don't worry Takako-chan, I'll call the girls and we'll get you dressed for this thing before the day is out," Reiko said with such a determined tone that Takako slid away from her slightly.

"Can I trust you not to make a fool of me?"

"Absolutely, I wouldn't dream of trying to damage someone's reputation just for kicks. I can be heartless occasionally but that's not on the list of actions when I am."

"Okay, I'm in, but whatever we get can't be extremely expensive because I don't have a ton of money right now," Takako said sounding a little more confident in the idea.

Reiko immediately called Nika, Emiko and Izumi and told them where to meet them before she and Takako left. When they arrived at the small dress shop Emiko was waiting for them outside the store with a notepad. It took less than five minutes for Nika and Izumi to arrive.

"Takako-chan you already know Nika and Izumi, the blonde is Emiko, she's a friend of mine who works here," Reiko said with a smile.

"Okay, we'll pick the dresses, you just tell us what NOT to pick up color and style wise," the blonde young woman said holding the pad to take any notes.

"Just as long as it's not yellow or green I'm okay," Takako answered with a nervous glance to Nika and Reiko who both just smiled.

Nika stayed with Takako and talked her through some of what might go on at the party while Izumi, Emiko and Reiko all picked out different things. They went through several styles and all the colors of the rainbow before settling into a perfect style and color and then into the perfect dress. Emiko gladly gave Takako the employee's discount to help her pay for the dress when the black haired woman nearly freaked out at the price tag and Reiko covered what the other black haired woman couldn't under the promise of getting paid back as soon as humanly possible.

While the girls were off helping Takako, Tatsuo got the urge to get out of the house for a few hours so he called up Gavin and asked if he wanted to work on the Z with him. Gavin agreed and met Mikio and his brother in-law at the school.

"Okay, Gavin you have some experience pulling engines, why don't you try and get that done?" Tatsuo said once they were in the garage, "Mikio, you can either pull the interior or catalog and label nuts and bolts while I pull the interior."

"I'll pull the interior, never could keep up with how Kyoko-san did the labeling," the bleach blonde man responded with a chuckle.

"Mikio, I'll help you at first, I need to get the shifter and such taken out so I can get the transmission out without having to lift the car too high," Gavin said grabbing a few wrenches out of a toolbox.

"Don't worry about hurting the upholstery, it's all getting replaced," Tatsuo said as he got out the paperwork on all the nuts and bolts, "Take it slow, I've got to look this over before I start labeling things."

As the men worked steadily through the afternoon Wataru dropped in to do a little testing on the school's black Super GT ready NSX that matched the team's own racing cars in body style. When Tatsuo finally called an end to the work the engine and transmission were free of the chassis and everything but the dash was out of the car's interior. Wataru helped them get the transmission loose of the engine block so that both could be covered and put away.

"So Tatsuo, how do you plan to get that engine and transmission to the shop you wanted to take them to?" Gavin asked as they left the garage to clean up.

"They have a pickup truck, I'm sure they won't mind picking it up since I have no clue how they'd brace it for transit," the black haired man replied with a chuckle.

"Okay, that's twice you've said something funny about this place, what hold do you have on them that they would rebuild the engine and transmission for free, but also come out here and pick it up?" the buzz cut blonde asked stopping Tatsuo.

"I've been half their business that's all, it's where I take Mom and Dad's cars to have them worked on. It's also where Reiko's RX-8 and both of mine were tuned," Tatsuo replied with a casual tone, "Nothing really funny about it, they just like me enough over there I guess."

"Why do I get the feeling there's something in this world I don't know about you and your sister?" Gavin said with a half serious tone.

"You know everything about my sister, it's me you don't know," Tatsuo said with a grin as he continued to walk towards the main building.

As Saturday rolled around Takako once again called on Reiko's assistance to get ready for her first formal date with Makato. Gavin was playing guard to make sure the leader of the Night Wolves didn't see his date for the evening before she was ready.

"What are you doing here Reynolds-kun?" the black haired man asked when he saw him.

"I'm under orders not to let you in this apartment," the buzz cut blonde replied with a chuckle.

"And whose orders are those? Because if they're Takako's you're going to get moved," Makato replied with a chuckle of his own.

"Higher, they're the wife's orders, they're in there getting Takako ready, knowing Reiko they'll be done soon," Gavin said with a smile.

"No higher order than the wife's, guess I'm not moving you after all,"

"Wouldn't be a wise idea in the first place, wouldn't want to go to a dinner party with a black eye and a fat lip."

This caused both men to laugh as they stood waiting for the door to open. They talked over a few things about the FD and Makato's S15, which had been swapped out for a more subtle vehicle for the occasion. When the door finally opened it revealed Takako in a stunning royal blue off the shoulder evening gown with matching heels, a black opal necklace around her neck and her long black hair tightly curled so that it fell just below her shoulders.

"You look amazing," Makato said with no small amount of amazement in his tone as Gavin and Reiko snuck off.

"Thanks, it's been a killer week on my feet, walking in heels is not something I've had to do before," Takako replied with a small embarrassed smile.

Makato chuckled and led her to the car he'd borrowed for the evening; he opened the door for her and helped her in as he always had. As they drove they talked about some of the things she might get asked since she would be arriving with him. They also covered what subjects she should try to stay away from since most of the people at this event didn't approve of street racing, and a couple of them didn't approve of racing in any form for some reason.

When they arrived at the dinner they were announced by the man at the door. Seeing Takako's confused look as they moved through the huge area that was walled with thick wood beams and wooden walls while the outside was brick and mortar, Makato explained that his grandfather's grandfather had started out in a building with similar construction and that it was all just a façade.

"I hope you know how to dance in those heels Takako," the leader of the Night Wolves team said as they stepped out into the large open space where others were dancing.

"I took a few lessons from Gavin-san," the black haired woman replied as he held her close.

"You know, seeing him standing at your door this afternoon, I was just a little jealous," Makato said with a small chuckle as they moved across the floor.

"Oh really now? Sounds like I need to invite him over again, he did offer more dancing lessons," Takako replied with a giggle as her date's eyes and step shifted for a split second, "Oh you are jealous, even though he's so loyal to Reiko that he actually bowed when she told him to wait for you outside."

"Well I can't help that, you're probably the first girlfriend I've had who actually cared about me instead of just my money," Makato said quietly making Takako miss a half step as well.

As the actual dinner started Makato's father called a toast and announced that Makato would be taking over the company within the next two years. After a minor uproar from some of the crowd the older Fujimoto explained that it was not based on familial ties, but his failing health and Makato's proven work towards taking over the family business.

"So Shinagawa-chan, what is it you're doing here with Makato-kun?" an older woman asked while they ate.

"She came because she's my friend and I asked her to," Makato answered in a slightly defensive tone.

"No need to be defensive Makato-kun, I was only curious," the woman replied smoothly, "But I did ask her."

"I came because I love him and I wanted to show him that no matter what I'd be at his side, even if it is just as a friend," Takako said with an honest tone earning stares from everyone at the table including Makato who quickly got over the shock and smiled warmly.

"Remind me never to play poker with you," the black haired man whispered to her with a chuckle while the others at the table were recovering.

"What I said was true Makato, why hide it?" Takako whispered back.

After dinner Makato was congratulated several times by random people in the company. Takako got separated from him as they moved through the crowd so she found the small dessert table and stayed near it.

"So Shinagawa-chan, what is it that you do?" the older woman from the dinner table asked when she spotted the young woman.

"I work for a small garage near Shibukawa, it's not exactly easy but I like it," the black haired woman said with a smile hiding her nervousness very well.

"Really, I guess that's why you don't act like the white collar type," the woman said with a snide tone.

"I wouldn't talk if I were you Haruko-chan, you did sleep your way into the company," came a voice from beside the two women, "And don't forget that your husband is still the only reason you're employed by this company, it certainly isn't for your abilities."

Takako's eyes went wide with shock hearing what the man had said. The older woman's were blazing with anger as she stared at the white haired man who had just insulted her; she stared hard at the man but he seemed completely indifferent to it all causing the older woman to storm off.

"I do apologize for my disgraceful behavior young lady, but I really can't stand her," the man said with a slight bow and an honest tone, "She got into one of the manager's pants and got herself a job, but her attitude is so snobbish that I could almost hate her."

"Almost? Sounds like you do Sir," Takako said with a small giggle as the man's face turned red.

"Well maybe a little, but that is beside the point, she shouldn't have said what she did about your work; if you like it there is nothing wrong with it, no matter what it is. Are you a mechanic at that garage or a manager?"

"I'm a mechanic; my brain isn't geared for much else, though I am one of the senior mechanics there."

"Well if you don't mind, let's you and me find a couple car friendly people and have a seat at one of these tables and have a nice talk while we wait for Makato-kun to find you," the grey haired man said with a kind smile offering his arm.

Takako nodded and looped her arm through his and they spoke of a few of the high end cars that Takako had worked on as well as her own R34. By the time Makato found Takako there were six people sitting at the table with her, with one empty chair on either side of her so the older men didn't have to strain to look her way. Makato smiled seeing the grey haired man just to his girlfriend's right and knew immediately that she was safe from pretty much anyone looking to insult her or him.

"Takako-chan, I do believe your date for the evening has found us at last," the grey haired man said with a chuckle as the younger man walked up.

"Have you kept her entertained Sir?" Makato asked politely with a short bow.

"Oh quite the opposite Makato-kun, she's kept us on our toes this evening, this young lady has probably forgotten more about mechanics than I could ever dream of knowing," the older man replied with a wide smile getting several noises of agreement from the men around the table.

"I thank you for the compliment Sir, but you've taught me a few tricks as well," Takako said with the smile Makato had seen so many times when she talked about tuning cars.

"Well, as much as I hate to disrupt my date's fun, we have another stop to make before I take her home for the evening," Makato said before the older man could reply.

Takako said her goodbyes to the older gentlemen at the table and the pair headed out to the car Makato had borrowed for the evening. Takako had no idea that she'd spent most of the party talking to the engineering department's lead manager and his higher staff until Makato told her. They had been driving for nearly half an hour before Takako couldn't take not knowing where they were going anymore.

"So where are we going now?" the black haired girl said removing some of the well hidden pins that kept her hair out of her face.

"Oh just heading to a good restaurant for real food, I don't know about you but whatever that dinner was, it wasn't enough," Makato replied with a chuckle, "So let me ask you something, we've only been dating a couple months now, did you really mean what you said to Haruko-san?"

"About loving you or about being a mechanic? Because you know that's true."

"You basically told my entire department that you loved me at the dinner table, that's kinda hard to miss."

"Well we were friends before we were dating, I was hoping that you would ask me out some time, I guess it just happened, but yeah I do love you," Takako replied quietly and Makato couldn't help but notice that her face was turning red.

"Well I think I was afraid to say it, but I think I've fallen in love with you too," Makato replied, then hearing her let out a small yelp of surprise he chuckled quietly as she covered her mouth out of embarrassment.

They arrived at one of Takako's favorite places to go for a late night food run and ordered up a couple hamburgers. They took the food back to Takako's apartment so they could change and not worry about ruining good clothes with greasy foods. When they'd finished the food they snuggled up on the couch and fell asleep watching a movie.

On the Sunday before they went back to training Tatsuo snuck his best suit out of the apartment and left around lunchtime. When he left he said he'd be back before dinner and that he was meeting Gavin at the school to ship out the engine and transmission of their project car. When Nika called Gavin a little later the blonde informed her that he'd left to set something up and that he couldn't get hold of Tatsuo either.

Unknown to Nika, her boyfriend was heading off to reserve a limousine for a date he'd been planning for several weeks.

"Hello there, how may I assist you today?" one of the attendants asked when he saw Tatsuo.

"I'd like to rent a limo for the evening, but I have several things that need to be worked out with the driver as well," the black haired young man replied with a smile.

"Well, let us begin with the type of limousine you'd like."

"Well my girlfriend and I are celebrating two years together so a stretch would be nice."

"We have a few different choices, there are models of each in the parking area if you prefer to look to find just the right one."

The two men walked back into the parking area and looked through a few of the choices they had while the attendant explained what each limo's options were. Tatsuo finally settled on one of their finest with leather seats, a private back section and a small refrigerator for a bottle of champagne.

"Okay we have the limo, now what about the itinerary?" the attendant said as he typed some information into the computers.

"Would it be possible for the driver to carry instructions for her to follow?" Tatsuo said handing him the addresses the driver would go to in their proper order.

"I'm sure we can work it out, when do you want him to arrive at your girlfriend's home?" the attendant asked having not yet taken his eyes off the computer.

"They need to be at the door by eight, I have the instructions for him to carry ready and in order," Tatsuo said with a smile thinking of a new piece to his plan, "I'd like to have a dozen lilies in the back of the limo if possible."

"Certainly Sir, how many people will our driver be picking up at the first address?"

"Just one, can I ask that he knock on the door?"

"Yes, I'm guessing you'll be calling her by another title by the end of the evening, with the expense and time of all this," the attendant said with a chuckle as he continued to type the information into the system.

"We shall see I guess," Tatsuo said with a grin.

"Well let's make sure we have everything in order, at eight o'clock this evening the driver will knock on the door and will hand off a card with instructions to the lady at the door, in the back a bottle of champagne out of sight and one dozen lilies," the attendant paused to make sure he was correct so far before continuing, "He will then drive to the second address where you will be picked up and then drive to the third address and leave till called for, after that he will drive to the fourth location on the list before returning you both to the first address correct?"

"Sounds right to me, thanks," Tatsuo replied with a smile as he wrote a check for the full amount and left the instructions with the attendant.

Shortly before seven Nika received a text from Tatsuo telling her he wouldn't be home for dinner but not to eat without him. At seven exactly a messenger came to the door and handed the brown haired young woman a card with the message 'Go to your closet and find the dress with a note attached T'. She went to her closet and found the note attached to her favorite strapless blue satin evening gown. The note attached instructed her of what time to be ready by and to wear the sapphire necklace that Tatsuo gave her for their first Christmas as a couple.

She had just finished getting her hair curled the way she wanted it when a heavy knock came at the door so she carried her shoes to the door expecting Tatsuo. When she opened the door there was a grey haired man in a chauffeur's uniform who handed her a small card with 'Trust this man, he knows where to find me T' typed neatly on it. The gentleman offered his arm and escorted her to the twenty seven foot stretched Mercedes limousine. Nika smiled when she saw the lilies in the back just before the driver closed the door for her.

'_Okay, my favorite dress and best jewelry with my favorite flowers in the back of a limo, he's really taking this two year anniversary thing seriously,'_ Nika thought as she got comfortable in the seat.

It was a lonely thing being in the back of that huge limo all by herself for nearly half an hour, her curiosity was like a blazing inferno killing her from the inside out too, but the driver couldn't give any information because all he had was his instructions.

When the driver stopped the car at Akina's lake the car moved in a very smooth manner but Nika still felt like he was trying to point the car at something. When he opened the door for her she took his hand allowing her to take the new card he held in it. 'Go to the dock, I'm waiting T' was all the card had on it this time. Nika followed the instructions and found Tatsuo standing with his back to the lake and a dozen roses in hand, the necklace and cello pendant she'd given him being worn as a tie chain for the blue tie he wore.

"All this trouble for roses?" Nika asked with a small amount of sarcasm showing through her confusion.

"Well not just roses, dinner and dancing too," Tatsuo said with a laugh as he led her back towards the limo.

The driver took them to a restaurant and helped Nika out yet again before driving off to find something to do until called on. When the couple entered the restaurant Tatsuo spoke to the Maitre de who quickly led them to one of the best tables in the place. The restaurant was beautifully decorated with gold and silver carpets and tablecloths and the chandelier had several tiers and all manner of little crystals reflecting light into every facet of the room. There was a solid wood dance floor close to the small stage where the house band was playing.

"How did you hear of a place like this?" Nika asked once the waiter had taken their orders.

"Actually Natsuki-san recommended it; she and Takumi-san came here on their first wedding anniversary," Tatsuo said with a slight chuckle.

"It almost feels like I'm in that old Bing Crosby movie White Christmas where they still had floor shows and such," the brown haired woman said with a small blush on her cheeks.

"Yeah, has a real nice feeling to it," her black haired boyfriend replied with a smile of his own.

After a few minutes in silence the band started playing the song that Tatsuo had requested while walking towards the table. He led Nika onto the floor and they danced alongside a few other couples until the song finished. Nika tried to head back towards the table not noticing that the band hadn't moved to the next song yet, but she stopped when she felt that Tatsuo wasn't moving with her.

"Nika I have something to ask you, I figure here is about a good a place as any," Tatsuo said reaching into his jacket pocket before kneeling down on one knee in the middle of the dance floor.

Nika already knew what was coming but being out on the floor surrounded by their fellow diners made her blush and she felt like her tongue had turned into one big cotton ball.

"Nika Mahara, will you make me one of the happiest men on earth and become my wife?" the black haired man said from his place on one knee in front of her holding a platinum ring with three diamonds that totaled a full carat.

Tatsuo could feel everyone in the restaurant staring at him and Nika, knowing that the closest patrons had heard his question and were waiting with bated breath alongside him, others knowing by gesture what was going on as he waited the eternal seconds for her answer.

"Yes Tatsuo, I will marry you," the brown haired woman managed to say before falling to her knees and hugging him as tightly as the way they were sitting would let her.

The other patrons applauded as the newly engaged couple hugged in the middle of the dance floor. Nika and Tatsuo only stood when the band started playing again. They were congratulated by a few of the wait staff as well as a few of the other patrons who were close enough to hear everything. When they left the restaurant Tatsuo helped Nika back into the limousine before the driver closed the door behind him.

"You know that I already considered us as a married couple right?" Nika asked once they were well on their way.

"Yeah, but you know how my family is, high strung a little more than traditional about couples," Tatsuo replied holding her close as he retrieved the chilled bottle of champagne and poured a couple glasses with his other hand.

"So you asked because your family forced you into it?" his fiancée asked with a large amount of hatred of the idea in her tone.

"No, I asked because we've been together for two years now and lived together in that small apartment together for a while now and I saw it as the next step," the black haired man replied with a funny grin on his lips while handing her one of the glasses.

"Uh huh, I call bullshit."

"Alright you caught me, I waited to ask because I wanted everything to be perfect at the next stop along our journey this evening," Tatsuo said with a smile and sounding a lot more serious, "I asked because I love you and I want you as more than just my roommate and girlfriend, I want you as my wife and for me to be your husband."

The honesty in his tone made Nika throw herself into his arms as the limo continued its way towards the next location that Tatsuo had specified. The limo came to a slow stop just outside a small single story brick house with a sold sign hanging in the yard and a three car garage off to the side and just a little behind the house. Tatsuo led the way into the house which was much larger inside than it appeared because of the very open layout and high ceilings in the front of the house. Nika walked away from Tatsuo and down a wide hallway, her dress just brushing against the hardwood floors that filled the space.

"Like what you see so far?" Tatsuo asked with a smile.

"So far, this place is way bigger inside than I thought it would be for sure, whose is it?" Nika asked as she found the master bedroom on the right side of the hallway.

"Well since you said yes, it's ours," her fiancé answered with a laugh as he watched the woman's eyes grow to the size of dinner plates, "I signed the last of the paperwork just after helping Gavin get things settled with the garage that's doing the engine rebuild on our project car."

"Tell me everything about this house please," Nika said with a happy tone.

"Well, it has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a laundry room near the back door, can't recall the total square footage but the kitchen has a gas cook top with a wall oven, and a double door refrigerator which I'm already considering replacing with something bigger. The master has its own bathroom with a soaker tub and stand in shower, the guest bedroom is next to the other bathroom which is just a few steps down the hall on the left there," Tatsuo paused to take a breath and figure out what else he needed to tell her, "That bathroom only has a stand in shower but it's still nice, and you saw the three car garage off the back of the driveway, unfortunately there is no access to the main house from the garage but I think that's fixable."

"Well I guess the next question is when do we get to move in?"

"Well there's a little snag, we won't have time to move in before the race in Okayama because I have cleaners coming in to deal with the carpets in the bedrooms and the hardwoods, after that though we're free to move in whenever we want."

Nika started working out where things would go and trying to decide how to paint the walls before Tatsuo had to drag her out so they didn't spend the night on the hardwood floors with the chauffeur waiting for them. When they arrived back at the small apartment Tatsuo tipped the driver before following Nika in and they both were asleep before the hour was out.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

On Monday morning, a week and four days before the race in Okayama, the drivers and staff of the Takahashi Racing Team were getting ready for their first training session in two weeks. Ryosuke was waiting for them trackside so he could explain a few things as the rest of the staff moved the school's GT cars to the track.

"Ryosuke-san, why are we moving the school's cars onto the track?" Mikio asked once the black FD was in its usual pit box and another team was moving the black NSX. The other drivers were there with him as well.

"At Tatsuo-kun's suggestion the school purchased a Super GT ready NSX, you'll be practicing in the school's cars from now on to preserve the team's cars," the doctor answered with a calm tone, "You will also begin a new training regimen after that performance at Suzuka, these two cars have been set up under my personal supervision to be extremely difficult to drive."

"What's the point of a new training style after the season started?" Gavin asked pulling nervously at the dog tags he constantly wore around his neck.

"To make your cars seem easier to drive. Your lap count is forty a piece, Mikio-kun you won't be driving this week, we'll let you back into the training next week," Keisuke replied instead of his brother.

Ryosuke nodded his agreement just before Gavin and Tatsuo took their places in the seats of the school's cars. Gavin noticed as he maneuvered the NSX from the pit box that he had to not only move the steering wheel further but that it was harder to turn as well. As the two men made their way through the first corners the FD slid out of its line in the second open ninety degree right hander of the course. Through the second s-turn set of the course's current layout Gavin had to fight the front of the NSX to stay on its line.

"Geez this thing is trying to kill me," Gavin chuckled as he forced the car back onto the proper line; he heard Keisuke chuckle as well but no response came otherwise.

As they moved onto the portion of the braking course covered by the current layout Gavin had somewhat settled into his pace but Tatsuo was having more trouble with the FD. When the rotary powered machine moved through the left handed hairpin the FD's back driver's side tire hit gravel and sent a cloud of dust into the air as the black haired man behind the wheel fought to get the machine back on the track. When the two cars came to the second hairpin they were practically on top of each other but Tatsuo made no attempt to pass as they cleared the hairpin and the v-turn after it.

As they made their way through the last three hairpin corners the NSX's front passenger tire hit the gravel before Gavin managed to muscle it back onto the road. Tatsuo managed to keep the FD from drifting out of the pavement as the car slid off its line as well. The two men managed to finish the first lap without further incident.

After they completed their first ten laps both men settled into a rather slow pace compared to their norm but they were able to complete all forty laps without breaking the cars. Gavin and Tatsuo both warned their driving partners of what they were in for while strapping them into the cars. Reiko and Nika had a little more trouble fighting the cars at first as well but they too settled into a good pace for the new cars and settings. They also managed to keep them on the track the entire forty laps thanks to the warnings.

When the next set of forty laps came around for each driver they found a pace slightly higher than their first sets. Tatsuo managed to set a section record for the fun course's last stretch of corners but nothing else came of the day for the first time since they'd started driving the school's original trainer cars.

"These cars will remain set as they are until you're able to set lap records with them. Now you've all run one hundred and twenty laps today, go home and get some rest," Ryosuke said as his drivers met him trackside after training, "We'll be continuing on forty laps per driver until the end of the season so try to rest as much as you can."

The drivers made their way to a family style restaurant somewhere in between all three of their apartments. Tatsuo and Nika sat at a second table while Reiko, Gavin, Mikio and Izumi took places in a close by booth.

"Am I the only one that felt like a total newbie today?" Gavin asked running a hand across his short hair.

"I certainly did, Ryosuke-san certainly knows how to set a car to be a pain in the ass, but I will admit once I relaxed for that last section the FD seemed a little easier to drive," Tatsuo replied across the small aisle.

"Were you tense before?" Izumi asked quietly, "I mean Ryosuke-san did say they would be difficult to drive, did it make you nervous as to how it might be?"

"It's possible, but head games from our team's owner doesn't seem likely to me, I mean why tell us they'd be set if he wanted us to find out the hard way?" Reiko replied leaning against Gavin, "Besides, he wasn't lying when he said it, I don't think any of our team's staff would have with the way those two cars were set up."

"Why do you think he took Mikio off the training for the week?" Tatsuo asked only slightly changing the subject, "I mean he's been driving the same amount of laps as every one of us since he came back, so why take him off now?"

"I'll stay out of it if any one of you says the word, but Tatsuo has a point, why now?" Mikio asked looking around the group, "I mean they even let me drive after the Motegi race while everyone started packing up."

"Could be that you don't need to train this way, you were brought on as a tester after all," Gavin replied honestly, "And if you think about it we've all been off for two weeks, Mikio's the only one who doesn't desperately need to get back in form before the next race."

"And Ryosuke-san did say he'd be back in it for the four days before race weekend," Nika said joining the small conversation, "Might be sooner if we can get a handle on the school's cars before the end of the week."

"I have a question about the way you guys work," Izumi said gaining everyone's attention which caused her to remain silent for a few moments, "Every time one of you sets a record, doesn't matter who, Nobuhiko-san says it's going to be a rule breaking day, what does he mean?"

"We're not supposed to drive at the best of our abilities during practice, at this point all we're doing is keeping our endurance up, so when we start breaking track, section or speed records we're breaking the rules by driving at our best for a lap or two," Reiko replied in a calm tone with a smile, "If you've ever noticed it's usually only within the first couple laps or the last two or three of the set that the records get broken, it's because of that."

"What happens on those days is the first one to break any record makes us all feel that we need to best them, so we try to, or at least try to set a record of our own, it's a continuous loop," Gavin added with a similar smile.

"I don't get it, doesn't it matter to you that you're besting your own teammates?" Izumi asked trying to wrap her head around the idea.

"Most of the time it really doesn't, I've seen Gavin get a little steamed when I beat his record but he goes out and beats mine later or someone else does," Mikio replied with a chuckle, "Basically whoever starts it knows when it happens that they're going to have to break another record before the day is out because we all kinda pull each other."

"The only record we can actually compete over as far as all five of us are concerned is overall top speed. The rest are usually Mikio competing between both cars and the four of us competing with our driving partners for records like fastest lap and section times," Gavin said seeing a little confusion in Izumi's eyes.

"That doesn't make any sense to me, but I'm no racer so it probably never will," the auburn haired young woman said with a shrug causing everyone to chuckle.

Over the next two days Gavin and Reiko got faster in the NSX while Tatsuo and Nika did the same in the FD. They all figured out that by relaxing in the seat and letting their bodies listen to the car they could go faster and feel just as comfortable as if they were in the team's cars instead of the school's cars. On Wednesday, Nika was the first to set a section record. The day's rules, and Ryosuke's expectations of a week's adjustment to the new settings, were broken as the students continued to one up each other, if only by milliseconds.

When Keisuke and Takumi called the students off the track for the last time there was a white 180SX parked between a two-tone green S13 and a grey S15 in the parking lot. Gavin could have sworn he'd seen the S15 before.

"Keisuke-san, who do those cars belong too?" the buzz cut blonde asked gesturing to the three Nissans after they had all changed to their street clothes.

"They belong to a few friends of the Fujiwara's, seems Natsuki asked them to come, wants us all in the conference room since practice is finished for the day," the spiky haired man replied with a shrug.

The group walked into the building and went straight into the conference room to see Takumi standing behind Natsuki's chair with his usual blank stare. Natsuki was smiling just as she usually did so no one knew exactly what was coming. Down the other side of the table, three men that the drivers had never met sat waiting calmly for whatever was going to happen.

"Okay, we're all here, so what is it you wanted to talk to us about?" Ryosuke asked politely looking to Natsuki.

"We have an announcement to make," Natsuki said with a wide smile and an overly happy tone, "Somewhere around the first of the year, Takumi and I will be parents."

Reiko and Izumi shot to the head of the table and hugged the older woman who had become friends with most of the team, even going shopping with Reiko, Nika and Izumi once or twice. Gavin and Tatsuo congratulated them both as did the three men who were there; the shortest of the three even hugged Natsuki.

"Okay, introductions now that the announcement has been made," Takumi said noticing Gavin staring at Iketani as though he'd seen him before.

"I'm Koichiro Iketani," the tallest man with short and well styled black hair said placing a hand on his chest, "This is Itsuki Takeuchi and Kenji," he added gesturing to the other two men, the first being the shorter fellow who hugged Natsuki, the second a man with dark hair about his own height.

"You drive that grey S15 outside don't you Iketani-san?" Gavin asked seriously, "Race it on Akina from time to time too right?"

"I do, but how did you know that?" Iketani asked noticing that the women of the group had gathered together with a small chuckle.

"I've seen you there, you raced against a foreign car, an XK8, about half a year back and got your clock cleaned," the buzz cut blonde said with a smirk.

"You must have been behind the headlights of the car behind me that night," the older man replied with a chuckle, "Which begs the question, when did you get into it?"

"You passed me while I was off to the side so I jumped in behind to see who would win."

"Well that Jaguar did do a pretty good number on me that night," Iketani said with a chuckle.

Over on the other side of the room Kyoko got dragged into helping plan the baby shower with Reiko and Izumi. The three of them were talking over party games and stuff even though the event wouldn't be till after the next race.

"So have you thought up any names, or what color to paint the nursery?" Izumi asked bouncing happily.

"We only just found out yesterday, we haven't had time to let it really sink in yet, but I'd like to paint the room some kind of green or maybe even yellow so it's neutral," Natsuki replied with a quiet laugh.

"Think maybe Takumi will teach him to drive the way his father taught him?" Reiko asked laughing at the image of a baby drifting through Akina at night, "Even if it's a girl that would be kinda cool."

"No way, Takumi was driving in seventh grade, I'm not letting my child drive anything but a go kart till they are of legal age!" Natsuki half shouted making everyone laugh.

Nika pulled Tatsuo away from the rest of the conversations for a moment to talk something over with him before clearing her throat and gaining everyone's attention.

"Seems Tatsuo and I have an announcement of our own," the brown haired girl said a little nervously as she pulled the ring out of her pants pocket, "Tatsuo asked me to marry him, I said yes."

This got more attention from Reiko and Izumi than the rest of the people in the conference room. Both of the women were trying to figure out what details had been planned already and why they just didn't come out with it.

"Congratulations you two," the man introduced as Kenji said with a smile.

"Thank you Sir," Nika said with a slight bow as Tatsuo shook the man's hand.

"I'll tell you now, getting married was one of the best moments in my life, so I wish you the same," the black haired man said with a smile.

After a few more minutes of celebration Kenji, Iketani, and Itsuki left to go back to their respective jobs while everyone else went about getting everything ready for the next day's practice. Ryosuke dismissed the students and Natsuki and Takumi for the day shortly after they started. Tatsuo, Gavin and Mikio stuck around and worked on the Nissan for a couple of hours before heading home.

The rest of the week blew by for the Takahashi Racing Team; in the remaining two days several records were set and Mikio, as predicted, was allowed back into the training loop and given a few extra laps to get used to both new cars.

On Saturday of the same week everyone that was the leader of a team in Gunma got a text from Takako Shinagawa of the Akina Street Kings asking them to meet with her in Myogi. A second text went to Shou Enomoto and Makato Fujimoto telling them to have their teams come as well. First to show up in the summit parking area were the leaders of the Usui Sparks and the Akagi Blue Fire teams who were followed rather quickly by the entire Night Wolves and Street Kings teams. Takako wasn't there yet and Makato and Shou both were worried about her since no one could get in touch with her all week. When she did arrive, the black haired woman looked extremely tired and as if she hadn't eaten a solid meal in at least two days.

"Takako what's going on here? We're supposed to be practicing in Akina tonight," Shou said sounding concerned and confused at the same time.

"I'm resigning from the Akina Street Kings," Takako replied sounding more confident than she appeared as she peeled the two Street Kings stickers off the quarter panels of her R34.

"Why?" Matsuda, primary downhiller of the Street Kings, asked with nothing but curiosity in his tone, "I'm not going to try and stop you, you have the right to choose your path, but I'm understandably curious what brought this about."

"Every time we've faced off with the Night Wolves since Makato and I started dating, I've been hurt by the results," the black haired girl replied calmly, "Win or lose for either team I'm losing, so I'm joining up with the Night Wolves."

Everyone in the crowd heard her plain as day, but not one of them could believe what they were hearing. Shou and Makato were staring at her with increasing amounts of confusion combined with concern while the two teams talked quietly between themselves.

"Takako, I can't let you do this, as much as I love you, as big a benefit as you would be to the team, you'd still feel hurt if your friends lost to any of us," Makato finally said, his tone serious but loaded with concern.

"Plus if you join the Night Wolves his team would have the two fastest drivers in Gunma," the leader of the Usui Sparks said seriously.

"Not really, Takako and I both have suffered a few losses since the Saitama battles, all I'd really be gaining is a new uphiller." Makato answered seriously, "Well that and having my girlfriend on the same team but that's beside the point at the moment," he added trying to lighten the mood just a little, he failed.

Two of the Street Kings' lower members began shouting at the Night Wolves about stealing members from other teams and other such conspiracy theories.

"I don't care what anyone says or thinks, my decision is made, if I am to continue racing in the mountains I will do so as a Myogi Night Wolf," Takako said loudly over the shouting team members.

"Shou, I want you to know here and now I had no say in this, but I have no reason to turn her away," Makato said handing Takako the symbol of the Night Wolves team, a sticker of a snarling wolf's head.

"I understand, if any one of the Night Wolves is willing, we could do this as a member exchange so we can all learn new stuff," Shou said calmly.

"Enomoto-san, no disrespect to you, but we joined the Night Wolves because it's where we want to be, none of us will be joining your team," someone in the group said as the other members nodded their agreement.

Shou and the Street Kings team returned to Akina for their regular team practice. Everyone in the team felt like something was missing from the mountain that night as they drifted through the corners in the road. Shou stopped practicing and drove up to the lake to be alone for a few minutes. When he got up to the small parking lot he dug his phone out of his pocket and dialed Gavin's phone number.

"Shou-san, what has you calling me at such a late hour?" Gavin's voice asked tiredly through the phone.

"Takako joined up with the Night Wolves about an hour ago," the Street Kings leader said point blank with a sad tone.

"I can guess by your tone you didn't see this coming," the buzz cut blonde replied with a long exhale as he tried to wake himself up just a little more.

"I kind of did, then it turned into hoping it wouldn't so much that I started to think it never would I guess."

"Reiko wants to know what her reason was for changing teams."

"Too much inner turmoil I guess, watching her boyfriend win or lose hurt her in some way," Shou replied, his voice starting to crack just a little.

"Makes sense I guess, watching Makato lose hurt because she loved him but couldn't cheer him on, seeing him win meant that a friend lost, but why call me about this?" Gavin asked seriously.

"I don't even know honestly, I read somewhere that you swapped teams a couple times before you were the Blood Runner, I guess I was just wondering what the hardest part was," the Street Kings leader said quietly.

"Shou-san, the hardest part about my changing teams was changing the stickers on my FD," the buzz cut blonde replied with a laugh.

"Can you at least tell me some of the reasoning behind it?" Shou asked desperately trying to understand.

"When I changed teams the first time it was from an on base drag racing team to an off base road racing team, the second time I started my own team with my girlfriend of the time being the only other member. I really can't help you understand her reasoning by that experience."

There was a long pause from Shou's end of the phone that broke the steady conversation for a few moments. Gavin could have sworn he heard a quiet sob and a deep staggered inhale. As the silence persisted no other sounds were heard but the buzz cut blonde figured Shou had muted his end of the call and didn't say anything until he heard Shou ask if he was still there.

"Shou-san, I can assure you that her decision to change teams was in no way an easy one for her, it was either race with the man she loves and leave her friends or race with her friends and be unable to cheer for the one she really wanted to win and possibly lose the man she loved," Gavin said trying to calm the other man just a little, "From either side it's a bad lose, lose situation for her."

"At least I know she's not wasting her talents with a car, I honestly believe she would have quit if Makato didn't let her into his team," Shou said, his tone still just a little shaky.

"You might be right, but we won't know that now," the buzz cut blonde replied with a chuckle.

Gavin and Shou said their goodbyes before hanging up. The blonde and his wife stayed up till well past midnight talking about things, including that both of them missed racing in the passes for fun, before they both agreed to do what they wanted and what appeared to be the right thing to them.

"Okay, so after Okayama, we'll go to Akina and join the Street Kings." Reiko said as the two lay back down in bed.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

The Takahashi Racing Team arrived at the Okayama circuit two hours ahead of schedule and went about setting everything up for open practice. After about an hour Gavin, Reiko, Tatsuo, Nika and Mikio were in the team's motor home watching track footage from previous races when Takeshi Kanzaki dropped by to kill some of the remaining hour before practice.

"Kanzaki-san, it's good to see you again, how is your wife?" Reiko asked with a smile.

"She's doing just fine, she was a little tired after the trip so she's at the hotel resting, it was a long drive since she can't fly right now," the tall brown haired man said with a smile, "She sends her regards to you and your teammates though."

"Well that's good to hear, are you going to leave the baby's gender a mystery this time?" The black haired girl asked taking a seat next to Gavin.

"Not this time, we'd like to have a definite name picked out before this one is born," Takeshi replied with a laugh, "What updates do you two have from your team?"

"Well Tatsuo here finally manned up and asked Nika to marry him, Reiko and I are looking into a house and our GT300 manager's wife is pregnant with their first child so all is well with us," Gavin said with a laugh at Tatsuo's face.

"And what about this gentleman here who hasn't taken his face out of the tablet on the table?" the SC430 driver asked with a short chuckle.

"That is Mikio Taniguchi, he's the tester for both of the Takahashi teams," Nika replied as Mikio waved without looking up from the tablet, "His wife Izumi is probably lying down herself, she wasn't feeling too well before we left."

At that moment a shorter black haired man in a team shirt that matched Takeshi's, barged into the motor home without permission and looking very upset.

"Kanzaki-san, what are you doing here? You should be getting ready for practice!" the brown haired man half shouted drawing everyone's attention to him.

"I've been here for five minutes, there is still nearly an hour before practice starts, it takes less than five minutes for me to get dressed and about two minutes to get the car ready, I think I have time," Takeshi replied calmly drawing chuckles from Gavin and Tatsuo.

"You still should be in our team's box, not hanging around a rival team," the man replied still sounding upset.

"I have known this team since well before you were a part of ours, my wife and I consider them friends off the track, which means you can go back to doing your job instead of stalking me," the SC430 driver replied seriously, "Besides, the press don't care about who I hang out with before a race anymore."

The shorter man let out a sound of disbelief before storming out the same way he had come in.

"New manager?" Gavin asked pointing at the door.

"Worse, new press officer who thinks it's a bad idea for me to be seen with anyone but my own teammate and wife," the tall brown haired man said shaking his head a little.

They carried on for about half an hour before Takeshi wished everyone luck and left so they could all get ready for the practice session. Gavin started out first in the team's red and gold NSX before being followed by a couple other teams and Tatsuo in the blue and gold FD. The practice was fairly easy for everyone until the last fifteen or twenty minutes when a GT300 car, a blue and red 350Z, started doing a flying lap for no reason.

As the car came up on Nika's left quarter panel to pass on the outside of the Hobbs corner, a right handed hairpin, Takumi warned her to slow down and let the 350Z go by, which Nika tried to do just before the blue and red machine cut in too early and slammed into the FD's front left quarter before spinning into the gravel on the inside of the corner. Nika managed to save the FD from following the 350Z into the gravel but pulled to the outside and let her blue and gold machine dig into the gravel on the opposite side of the track surface.

The marshals that were behind the wall on the other side of the corner had her door open before Nika had time to really exhale.

"Are you alright young lady?" the man asked tapping her hand a couple times.

"I'm fine, just a little shaken. Would you mind getting the harness open?" the brown haired young woman replied through the open visor of her helmet.

"Just stay put for now, there is an escort on their way to take you and the other driver back to the pits."

Nika ignored his protests and unhooked the safety harness and her helmet from the HANS device before stepping out of the car and removing her helmet and fireproof balaclava as well. She walked around to the other side of the FD before placing her helmet on its hood and looking at the damage done. The fender was pretty smashed up and really close to the tire's tread thanks to that. The suspension was partially visible from where the gravel had torn a portion of the lower fender away since the other car had pulled away the front bumper when it hit.

"Young lady this is not a time for you to be moving around, you need to sit and calm your nerves so the doctor can check you out and you don't freak out on him," the marshal pleaded as Nika paced a little.

"I'm fine, I've had worse accidents in practice," the brown haired young woman replied feeling a knot form in her throat.

She couldn't explain to herself why, but her heart was sinking as she stared at the damaged car. She felt like she'd wrecked a partner instead of the pile of metal parts that made it a car. Nika knelt down next to the car and placed her hand on a small portion of the damaged fender and she could swear that the car pressed back into her hand as though feeling comforted by the touch. The escort and tow trucks arrived to take both drivers and cars back to the paddock; Ryosuke was the first to approach Nika about what had happened.

"Mrs. Sasaki, this accident wasn't your fault," the doctor said in a calm tone, "You did exactly as Takumi told you to do, so don't feel bad about it."

The older man ignored all the looks he was getting for calling her by a title that wasn't her legal name and continued on about his business with Nobuhiko.

"Nika-chan, you and Tatsuo-kun go on and get some rest while we get the spare ready for qualifying tomorrow," Kyoko said pushing the younger woman towards the motor home.

"The rest of you may as well go too, they're calling the rest of practice off," Takumi said from his place at the edge of pit lane.

Reiko, Gavin, Tatsuo and Mikio went with Nika and Izumi to the motor home to change before finding places to just sit and watch a little TV in the down time. Takeshi and his wife Kumiko dropped by to talk for a few minutes and make sure Nika was okay. They also informed her that they overheard the driver of the 350Z getting a dressing down like no other before they continued on to their own dinner for the night. Fumihiro brought a journalist who was covering some of the reasons behind the drivers starting racing. Nika seemed to be in a little bit of a daze since she was thinking more about what had happened with the FD after the crash, but she managed to answer the journalist's questions sensibly.

"Nika, you okay? You seem a little out of it," Gavin asked noticing his teammate's blank stare.

"Yeah, just thinking about the FD is all," the brown haired woman said still sounding a little blank.

"What about that car has you in such a fogged state of mind?" The buzz cut blonde asked sounding more concerned than curious.

"I don't know what it was, but I'd swear that when I put my hand on the smashed up fender the car pressed against me like a cat rubbing your leg or something."

"Starting to believe what me and hubby to be have been saying about cars being living machines?"

"I don't know if I'd go that far, but the marshal was beside me and there was no one on the other side of the car and yet when I put my hand on the fender it felt like the car was taking comfort from my touch."

"I'll tell you a really short story, believe me or not I don't really care, but that FD of mine used to wag its tail after I washed it for more years than I care to count," Gavin said with a chuckle as he stood up, "So I won't tease you about feeling some attachment to a car you've driven for next to a year."

The buzz cut blonde left Nika sitting at the small table in the motor home to think about his point of view on cars. She'd never believed it before, but now she didn't know what to think.

The next day just before free practice started Tatsuo agreed to let Nika run the full time and set the car her way since she was starting the race. Nika made her way onto the course and through the first open one hundred degree right hander at a slower pace before accelerating through Williams, a long left handed corner, and the Moss 'S'. When she slowed for Attwood corner she let the FD's tail slide for a moment before bringing it back to where it should be and flying through the straight.

"Alright Nika-chan, what needs to be done?" Kyoko asked as the car flew through the long straight.

"Need to tighten up the rear a little, so far that's all Kyoko-san," the brown haired driver replied just before braking for the right handed hairpin.

When she went through Revolver, a ninety degree left hander, she allowed the FD to come off its line because no one was around her at the moment. Nika then went through the second one hundred degree corner of the course, this one a left hander, with no problems at all.

"Okay, what do you think now?" Kyoko asked seriously, waiting till Nika had reached at least a short straight.

"Well I'm still going to say just tighten the rear for now, wait till I have a few laps in to ask," Nika replied as she dove into Redman corner, a tight left handed hairpin.

As she exited Hobbs, the right handed hairpin that followed Redman, she laid the accelerator to the floor for the short straight section. She let off the throttle and allowed the blue and gold machine to slow down on its own for Mike Knight corner before she floored it again through the last corner. After five more laps she brought the car back into the paddock and the mechanics went to work on everything she wanted done, trying to get it out before qualifying started so she could take a couple extra laps to be sure.

When qualifying started the FD was set to Nika's standards only but the brown haired young woman and her fiancé managed a reasonable fourth for their starting position while Gavin and Reiko managed to take fifth in the GT500 starting grid.

When the race started Nika dropped back into fifth at the first corner, while Reiko managed to hold her own fifth place until the crowd around her thinned out a little bit after five laps. The red and gold machine then weaved its way into fourth, then third before the second place driver caught on and blocked her path. Reiko managed to maintain her third position for a couple laps before being overtaken and put back into fourth. Nika and the FD were easily maintaining their fifth position with several helpful warnings from Takumi about surrounding cars.

As the lap count came closer to the mandatory driver change out window both fights became a little more intense as everyone started jockeying for post pit positions for their partners. Two laps before the window opened Nika began a flying lap climbing up through the field, managing to take the lead just before she entered pit lane. The NSX managed to hold third place until getting in.

The FD's rear tire hanger missed the lugs for a split second causing the car to come back onto the track in fourth place with Tatsuo at the wheel. Gavin and the NSX were back on the track in third place and having to fight to keep it since he'd come back right in the middle of a pack of cars.

"Damn that was close," the buzz cut blonde said with a short exhale as a red FD cut across the NSX's nose.

"Get yourself out of there, you've got right of way over them right now," Keisuke said through the radio.

Gavin did as ordered as he fought to hold onto his third position. Tatsuo came out of the pit clean and was fighting to get back to a podium finish. As the lap counts moved closer to the end of the race Gavin's attacks for second place ended when the solid red machine moved out of his way and just before its left rear tire exploded sending it out of the track and ending its race early.

"Okay, I'm in third, time to go after second," Gavin muttered as he started chasing the white SC430 that was currently leading the GT500 race.

"He does know he's in second right?" Wataru asked with a hand over the radio.

"I'm not going to tell him if he doesn't," Keisuke replied with a chuckle, "It's a good mental trick to keep a driver pushing his limits trying to chase an opponent that isn't there."

In the GT300 main pack Tatsuo had managed to fight his way into second place as he and the leading car approached the Attwood curve, an oddly shaped long right hander, with four laps left in the race. The black haired man was fighting off the urge to tap and spin the blue and red 350Z in front of him when they entered the corner. About halfway through it he spotted an opening along the inside and slid into the lead just before the exit of the corner.

"YES!" Tatsuo shouted as he slammed the accelerator down to clear the straight.

About halfway through the straight section of the course the Nissan slipped out of Tatsuo's draft and passed him just before the right handed hairpin.

"SHIT! I HAD IT!" Tatsuo screamed in anger as he planted the FD on the Z's bumper.

"It's okay Tatsuo-kun, you can get it back," Takumi's voice came through his radio.

When the penultimate lap of the race started the red and gold NSX of the Takahashi Racing Team was still attacking the white SC430, trying to force an opening. Suddenly as the two cars came out of the Redman's corner the SC430 went way wide and looked as though it didn't want to accelerate as Gavin went by on the inside before the next hairpin.

"Second place, let's go get the leader," Gavin said to the car as he pushed the accelerator to the floor.

"Only one lap left Mr. Reynolds, chase him down," Keisuke's voice rang through the radio.

Back in the pit box most of the pit crew was looking as though the man had lost his mind since Gavin had just taken the lead.

"Oh come on, one head game and you guys act like I'm lying to him, he started it," Keisuke laughed as the NSX crossed the start finish line to start the last lap.

During the last lap the 350Z in front of Tatsuo had basically become an impassible wall the width of the track as it stuck to the best lines and left no openings in the straights. Gavin finished the race in first place with half a car over a blue NSX that had fought its way up from the back of the pack during the last half of the race.

Tatsuo caught a break in the Mike Knight corner and managed to get back into the lead. When the blue and gold FD and the red and blue 350Z came out of the last corner they were side by side. During the fight to the finish line the Z managed to find some extra speed and retake the lead and finish the race with Tatsuo's FD just behind its front wheels.

Gavin and Reiko took their place on top of the GT500 podium while Tatsuo and Nika took the second place spot on the GT300 podium. Both teams celebrated with the other teams in front of the press and fans for a few minutes before they all stepped off the podium.

"Which one of you two drove that FD in the last half?" The first place GT300 driver asked Nika and Tatsuo as they came off the podium, "I just didn't get a chance to see who got out of the car is all."

"I drove the last half of this one," Tatsuo said with a cautious tone.

"Well I'd like to personally thank you for one hell of a fun race, I honestly believe that if you had one more lap our places on the podium today would have been reversed," the driver said shaking Tatsuo's hand before rejoining his teammate.

They all went to the post race press conference where the winner in GT300 told the press his beliefs and added high praises to the Takahashi Racing Team despite his team's press officer's protests. When they were all finally allowed to return to the paddock Ryosuke congratulated both teams before announcing that David Crandon, the team's silent owner and manager of their main sponsor company, would be joining them at the school to celebrate properly.

While they were packing things up Takeshi Kanzaki and his teammate came to the paddock and congratulated the whole team on their one two finish before they went back to start helping their own team pack for the next race.

Nika slipped away from the group just after Kanzaki left and went to the storage truck for the GT300 cars. She was sitting next to the damaged main line FD. She placed her hand on the damaged fender and once again she felt the car was taking comfort from the contact with at least one of its drivers.

When the Takahashi Racing Team arrived at the school it was around eight in the evening and the parking lot had several cars dotted throughout as well as the entire team's personal cars in the staff parking area. Reiko was the first to notice that at least two of the cars belonged to her and Tatsuo's parents and older brother. Nika pointed out her father's car and Makato Fujimoto's white S15 when they walked by them as well as Shou Enomoto's silver R32 on the other side of the parking lot, all three easily identifiable by the stickers on them. Mikio spotted the blue RX-7 David Crandon would drive each time he came to visit the school and his own parents' cars parked a little closer to the entrance. Ryosuke, Keisuke, Kyoko, Takumi, Nobuhiko and Wataru led the way to the school's biggest conference room since it was the only one big enough to have a small party in.

All of the drivers went to greet their own families, Gavin staying close to the door after greeting Makato and Takako of the Night Wolves team as well as Shou and Matsuda of the Street Kings.

"So little brother, second place to your sister again," Raiden, Tatsuo and Reiko's older brother teased.

"You didn't see the post race press conference did you?" Reiko asked considering what the other driver had said.

"No, we had to leave the house before it came on to get here on time and still make a couple stops along the way," their mother replied.

"The guy who won the race today said it would have been me on the top spot if there had been another lap," Tatsuo said with a wide smile.

"I can see why he might say that, you put up one hell of a fight near the end," their Aniki replied slapping his younger brother on the shoulder.

"We're very proud of both of you," their father said with a smile hugging Reiko again.

Kitamura, Mikio's younger brother, was peppering him with questions about the race, the crash during practice and what would happen to the car because it got wrecked. The bleach blonde could barely get an answer out before Kit asked another question, which was hilarious to their parents and Izumi.

Nika was getting rare praise from her step-mother and one near endless hug from her father. He already knew about the engagement, even though Nika hadn't found time to call him yet, because Tatsuo had dropped by and asked his permission.

Izumi noticed Gavin looked a little distracted before he stepped out of the room. She politely excused herself from the conversation she was having with Mikio's mother and followed the buzz cut blonde. When she caught up to him he was sitting in the lobby with one of the TV remotes simply flipping through channels on one of the TVs above the reception desk.

"Gavin-san is everything alright?" the auburn haired girl asked sitting in the chair next to him.

"It's nothing Izumi, probably just being stupid that's all," Gavin replied with a small smile.

"Want to talk about how you're being stupid?" Izumi giggled.

"I… There isn't anyone in that room who came just to see me, to tell me they're proud of me, just kind of felt out of place is all."

"Your parents are in America right now, but that's just blood right now, the family that is this team is extraordinarily proud of you. You did just win them their first GT500 race after all," Izumi said with a smile, "Give them a little time to speak to blood then they'll come to you and Tatsuo."

"Sounds like you know how I feel," The buzz cut blonde said with a surprised smile.

"First time I played an away game on the school soccer team my family couldn't be there because of work. We won because I stopped a shot that would have broken the tie and won it for the other team, my team then scored just before the clock ran out," the auburn haired young woman replied with a proud smile, "Not exactly the same situation but I'm betting it feels a little similar," she added with a small giggle.

"Best we get back in there before they send a search party out for us," Gavin said with a chuckle before leading the way back to the conference room.

A few small conversations had popped up since they left; Gavin jumped into one with Tatsuo and Shou about the mountain racing teams while Izumi talked with Natsuki, Kyoko and Reiko about the baby shower some more. The food arrived a little later with champagne and a server.

"Okay, first I ordered enough food for the whole team and the mechanic crews aren't here so there should be plenty," David said with a chuckle while the server handed out champagne filled cups, he waited till everyone had a glass before continuing on, "Second, to Gavin and Tatsuo, the team's first podium finishes of the season are theirs, congratulations gentlemen."

Gavin made his way to the head of the table, stopping along the way to tell Izumi she was right before going on and knocking on the table gaining everyone's attention more effectively than tapping on the side of his plastic cup.

"I'm sure that everyone here, team member or not, has someone they'd like to see right now, be it to rub your success in their face or thank them for all the support they've given you over the years," the blonde paused to draw a ragged breath as he felt a knot forming in his throat, "To the people who motivated us to come the way we have."

"Cheers," everyone in the small conference room said with a calm tone.

"You were talking about your grandfather weren't you?" Reiko asked when Gavin had gotten beside her.

"My father actually, but yeah my grandfather would be in that group too I guess," the buzz cut blonde said with a smile.

The party went on until around midnight when the food finally ran out. Each of the team's drivers, Mikio included, took a bottle of the champagne home but the rest went back to the caterers. When twelve thirty came around there wasn't a soul left in or anywhere around the building.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Two days after the race in Okayama, Nika, Izumi, Emiko and Reiko were in Nika and Tatsuo's one bedroom apartment packing boxes with what remained in the apartment. Most of the couple's clothes and the bed had been taken the night before since Mikio asked to use his Dad's pick up to move the bed. Mikio, Kitamura, Gavin and Tatsuo were outside moving the heavier things like the couch and dresser frame minus the drawers, and some of Tatsuo's music recording electronics around in the rental truck to make more room.

"You two have a lot more stuff than I thought you would," Emiko said as she wrapped up a 'First Christmas' ornament.

"The apartment is a lot bigger than you'd think too," Nika replied with a small smile, "When I moved in I had nothing but the bedroom set and a TV."

"Wow, you must have lived here a long time to get all this stuff and shrink the apartment," Izumi said with a giggle as she wrapped one of the pictures she'd taken off the wall.

"I've lived here for five years now, moved in when I was 18, got the couch from a friend at the bank, most of the stuff on the shelves belonged to my mother," The brown haired young woman replied with a nostalgic look as she picked up one of the snow globes, "This one was one of her favorites."

She shook the small object and watched the fake snow fall on the little reindeer standing next to a pine tree for a few moments before she snapped herself back to reality and wrapped it carefully. Outside the boys had just finished making more room in the truck and were catching their breath.

"Why do I get the feeling that we're going to be moving a lot more furniture in the near future?" Mikio asked leaning against the moving truck's bumper next to his brother.

"As long as I get my pizza I'll move whatever you tell me to," Kit replied with a wide grin.

"Well since you are getting pizza for dinner go get the boxes the ladies have filled up since we've been making room," Gavin said with a laugh just before Kit took off towards the apartment.

"He really is nuts for a good pizza isn't he?" Tatsuo asked sitting next to Mikio in the back of the truck.

"I honestly believe he'd ask a girl twice his age out on a date for a chance at pizza for dinner," Mikio replied with a chuckle.

"You guys do know we have a way to test that little belief right?" Gavin said with a mischievous grin.

"Who are you thinking about? Everyone here is married or about to be after all," the bleach blonde man asked with a confused chuckle.

"Emiko is single, least that's what Nika said last night," Tatsuo said with the same mischievous grin as Gavin on his face.

"And just how do you plan on paying off this little bet of yours should he actually win it? He's already getting pizza for helping us out on a school day."

"I was planning on ordering three or four pepperoni pizzas, could let him pick toppings for his own small pizza," Gavin replied just as the youngest person in the 'moving crew' came into sight.

"What trouble are you three about to get into now?" Kit asked seeing the maniacal smiles as he set the box he was carrying in the truck.

While Gavin explained the bet to the thirteen year old as well as added a small rule that at least one of them had to be close by when he asked so that he didn't spill the beans just to get Emiko to agree, Tatsuo added that the blonde woman had to agree of her own free will for Kit to actually win the bet.

"Making it a little tough for my kid brother to win this one aren't you?" Mikio asked as Kit went to get another box.

"I've got a feeling with the three of us out here, the girls are expecting some kind of trouble involving him," Gavin replied with a short chuckle.

"He has a point you know, we do tend to get into trouble when we're together away from work," Tatsuo added with a laugh.

"No you two get into trouble, I get dragged in," Mikio replied seriously though he was only able to keep his composure for a few seconds before he burst out laughing.

A few minutes went by and Kit hadn't returned with a box so the three men went inside to make sure everything was okay. They found Kit sitting against one wall by an air conditioning vent while Nika and Izumi were still packing the shelves where Nika kept her most precious items. Reiko and Emiko were in the kitchen packing the plates, cups, pots and pans to be moved so the three men joined Kit against the wall to cool off from the summer heat. Gavin nudged Kit a little since everyone was there; the young man didn't hesitate before standing up and walking to the kitchen counter. He cleared his throat gaining both Reiko and Emiko's attentions.

"What is it Kit-kun?" the blonde asked politely.

"I was wondering if you'd go out with me Emiko-san," Kit replied with such a confident tone that even the men, who knew what was coming, were a little shocked.

Reiko noticed that her husband, brother and teammate were watching the younger man a little more closely than anyone else and with less shock visible in their faces than the women. Emiko looked to Reiko for a split second which was just enough for the curly black haired woman to shrug.

"You know what, that actually sounds like a lot of fun Kitamura-kun," Emiko finally answered making everyone's jaw drop to the floor.

When the next load of boxes was ready Kit was grinning like a Cheshire cat as the four men walked back to the moving truck.

"I'll take a thin crust Hawaiian pizza," the young man said calmly as he placed his box on the truck.

"You got it Kit, you won that one fair," Mikio said mussing his brother's hair before sending him back inside for another box.

"Never thought once that she'd actually say yes," Gavin said with a short chuckle, "Guess I'll add the new pizza to the list."

Back in the apartment Kit was waiting for the next box to be taped up and labeled so he could take it when Emiko walked over to him and sat across from him while he tried to fix his hair a little.

"Kit-kun, why did you ask me out?" the blonde asked seriously.

"I thought you were cute and I never actually thought you'd say yes, but I wanted to at be able to say I at least tried," the young man replied as he continued to fix his hair.

"It was only a provisional 'yes' Kit-kun, just tell me you didn't do it because the guys put you up to it. I'll consider it a one time thing if they had nothing to do with it."

"You mean you actually want to go out with me?"

"Like I said, it would be one time only if Reynolds-sempai and the others had nothing to do with you asking."

'_Well damn, what do I say now with no way to warn my brother and the others?' _Kit thought as he stared at Emiko feeling his face get warmer.

"I wanted to anyway but I wasn't actually as confident as I sounded so they offered to let me pick the toppings for tonight's pizzas if I actually went through with it," Kit answered, his cheeks feeling like they were on fire.

Nika and Reiko were out the door in a hurry when they heard, Izumi close behind them. Emiko just smiled and helped Kit up before they walked out to the truck together. Reiko nearly managed to slap Gavin before anything was even said but the buzz cut blonde's reflexes allowed him to stop her.

"Okay, seems we've been found out," Gavin said with a calm chuckle noticing the cold glares from everyone and Kitamura staring at his feet behind the women.

"You'd put your own brother up to asking an older girl out for pizza toppings Mikio?" Izumi asked seriously.

"Hey, before this gets worse not one of us thought Emiko-chan would say yes, and he's been talking about her being cute all day, the pizza thing was an incentive more than anything," Gavin replied seriously, "His tone and demeanor when he did ask sounded to me like he'd wanted to anyway."

"Look, what's done is done, Kit accepted the challenge of his own free will, made good on it, and now he has a date with a cute girl and a pizza with his choice of toppings, what's the big deal?" Tatsuo asked just as seriously.

"Putting it like that makes it sound a lot more harmless," Emiko said with a small smile, "Just don't expect a good night kiss when I drop you off at home Kit-kun."

Kit let out a false sound of disappointment as he followed Emiko back into the apartment to get one of the boxes that was left when everyone went outside.

Once Tatsuo and Nika double checked to make sure everything was out of the much more spacious and completely empty apartment, everyone climbed into Emiko's sedan and Izumi's Aristo. Gavin and Kit took the truck to Tatsuo and Nika's new house where Gavin's FD, Nika's Z33 and Tatsuo's SE3P waited for them.

The unloading process was a lot faster thanks to not having any narrow halls or a long walk from truck to door. Each of the smaller boxes were taken to the proper rooms, Tatsuo's cellos and music equipment went to the second bedroom along with Nika's photography computer and the more expensive of her cameras, the rest went wherever Nika told them to put it down. The dresser and heavier items were then unloaded and put in a general spot near their permanent locations.

Gavin called and ordered the pizzas, Kit's included, before having Tatsuo follow him so they could return the truck while they were getting the pizzas. When they got back to the house Emiko's sedan wasn't in the driveway and both men chuckled at the idea that Kitamura might have gone with her. However they weren't surprised to see the young man in the living room helping his brother move the couch around at Nika's direction.

"Where did Emiko-chan run off to?" Tatsuo asked setting the pizzas on the table.

"She went to the store for drinks and chips to go with dinner," Reiko answered from behind a cabinet door in the kitchen area.

When Emiko returned they ate, Kit enjoying the Hawaiian pizza he had all to himself immensely, before Gavin and Mikio helped set up the living room while Tatsuo and Kit set up the music and photography room. Reiko and Emiko found ways to keep busy in the kitchen as they tried to recall how everything was stowed away in the apartment's kitchen. It took until nearly midnight for Nika to finally get everything where she and Tatsuo had worked out the night before. Everyone went to their own homes and pretty much fell asleep. Kitamura managed to stay awake a couple more hours on his brother and sister in-law's couch trying to come up with something Emiko might enjoy doing on their date.

The next day around lunchtime Mikio got a call from Kyoko to drop by the school to help her test a new car for a few laps. Kitamura volunteered to come with him so he could see his brother really drive. When they got to the school none of the team was there except Kyoko who had come in to take delivery of a modified Toyota MR-S that had come as a gift from David Crandon's company for winning their first race at Okayama.

Mikio was just starting the last of his laps in the black W30 when Gavin and Tatsuo arrived at the guardrail and took up places on either side of Kit to watch with him.

"Kit-kun, I have to ask how you're standing here in Gunma instead of sitting in a class room in Tochigi right now," Gavin said not taking his eyes completely off the MR-S.

"I'm a better student than my brother ever was, it's earned me a few privileges with our parents," Kit said with an almost arrogant tone, "Plus I have a tutor who keeps me a couple lessons ahead of the rest of my class," he added with a lighter tone.

"Sounds like what you used to do with your students Gavin," Tatsuo said with a chuckle.

"What do you mean used to?" the buzz cut blonde replied in an offended tone, "I still have one or two students that I do that with."

"I didn't know you still had any students, my sister and I never did talk about what students you have or had," the black haired teammate replied with a shrug.

"Well I'm down to three, the three whose parents wanted no one else even after I recommended a couple of other tutors with more available hours," Gavin said with a shrug, "So Kit, how are you doing in your classes with the help of this guy?"

"Woman, but I'm getting straight As across the board," Kit answered with a wide smile.

"Is she cute?" Tatsuo teased as he nudged the thirteen year old with his elbow.

"Tatsuo-san, she's almost thirty," the slender young man replied sounding slightly disgusted.

"Kitamura, I'm four years away from being thirty, what's wrong with that?" Mikio said as he stepped away from the W30 overhearing only what his brother had said.

"Especially considering you have a date with a girl ten years older than you in a couple days," Gavin said in a teasing tone that made Kit blush and fall silent.

"What are you two doing here today?" Mikio asked taking a little mercy on his little brother.

"Came to work a little while the girls are furniture and paint shopping," Gavin replied with a little nod towards where the project car was stored.

"Yeah, we weren't allowed to go because apparently wanting to paint the bathroom bright orange means we have no taste in colors," Tatsuo added drawing a laugh from Kit and Mikio as they walked towards the maintenance bays.

When Kit set eyes on what was left of the 1972 Nissan Fairlady Z sitting in the garage space, the body was bare metal and the suspension was all that appeared to be on the car's frame that was original to it. He wondered just how the three men would finish the project before the school opened. The young man offered his help for the day and whenever he could come to visit so they might get done a little quicker.

"Okay Kit, we're taking apart the suspension for today, you can either pick a wheel and follow me step by step to take it apart or you can just pass us the tools we ask for," Gavin said sitting down by where the front passenger wheel used to hang.

"If you do take one apart be sure to tell Tatsuo where all the bolts, bushings and stuff like that came from so he can put it in the parts list properly," Mikio added already digging into the rear passenger wheel.

Kit opted to pass the tools the two men asked for and learn by watching as Gavin worked and he also brought them all drinks when they asked. The young man even signed for a few of the new parts that would go on the car when they started rebuilding it in Tatsuo's place. The delivery guy still had to help him carry the new rims into the garage before he left though.

"So Kit, what are you and Emiko going to do Friday night?" Gavin asked with genuine curiosity while they took a break.

"I haven't really figured that out yet, she doesn't seem the type to like cars and paintball you know," Kit said nervously.

"You aren't wrong about that, what about a nice dinner and a stroll through the park or something?" Tatsuo suggested.

"You guys aren't trying to get me into what Reiko-san and Izumi-san called the 'ring of troublemakers' are you?" the youngest man asked cautiously.

"Kit, we all got busted last time, this time we're really trying to help," Mikio replied with a chuckle.

"Hey I've got a little idea, but it's going to require all of us," Gavin said with a contemplative smile.

"NO TRICKS!" Kit shouted before the blonde could get any further.

"Kit, relax a little, I was going to suggest that I cook you and Emiko dinner. Mikio would act as a limo driver since he's got the biggest back seat in the bunch with the Aristo, and Tatsuo would run a little movie in the park type thing after dinner," Gavin said with a calm tone, "Two benefits of doing that, you could stay out of the public eye and avoid the embarrassment of having to explain your age difference and you get a pretty cheap date night."

"Means all you need to figure out is what goes on the menu and what you'll wear," Tatsuo added with a quiet chuckle at the young man's face, "I think you'd fit into one of my suits if you want."

"One problem with all of this, she's expecting to pick me up, do any of you know where she actually lives to go and pick her up?" Kit asked sounding just a little panicky.

"Reiko and I went over to help her move some things into a storage building, I do believe Reiko knows the address, if not I know the way from our place," Gavin responded calmly as he placed a hand on the young man's shoulder to calm him, "Kit, we got you into this, we'll make sure it goes smooth."

While the boys went back to work on the car Nika, Reiko and Izumi were all at a furniture store across town. Reiko and Izumi were taking a breather while Nika took pictures of a few chairs and a couple of different little end tables to go beside the couch they already had. The brown haired woman had found a few paint colors at the hardware store about an hour before so the only thing really left was to get Tatsuo's opinion on everything.

"So what's in store for the rest of the house after the living room is done with?" Izumi asked as Nika took a seat across from her.

"The kitchen, I think new countertops and replacing the refrigerator would make me happy there," Nika replied with a small chuckle, "Tatsuo wasn't wrong when he said the fridge was probably too small."

"Are you going to paint the bedrooms and master bathroom?" Reiko asked leaning back in the overstuffed chaise lounge she was sitting on.

"I don't think so, both bedrooms were recently painted and the color really works with some of the pictures we've put up, others it's a matter of reframing them and they'd be perfect, the reason we're repainting the kitchen, dining area and living room is because that paint shows up a lot more yellow in the daylight than either of us really cares for."

"What do you think you'll do when you two might have kids?" Izumi asked sounding a lot more serious than seemed necessary.

"Well there is enough room between the back of the house and the second bedroom to make an actual music room later on if we want to use the bedroom as a bedroom," Nika answered with a more casual tone.

"So what's left on the 'to do' list while we're out here?" Reiko asked standing from the chair she was in.

"Well we need a thing to hold shoes and slippers by the back door since at least Tatsuo and I will be coming in that way more often and a faucet for the guest bathroom sink cause the one on it is horrid," Nika answered with a small laugh.

As Friday morning came along Kitamura was with Gavin, Tatsuo and his brother Mikio at the school doing a little more work on the Fairlady Z.

"Okay Kit, we've got everything we need to make tonight go at least decently, but there are a couple things you should try to do tonight," Mikio said while they worked.

"Well this is my first real date so any tips I can get would be great," the young man replied with a nervous chuckle.

"First off, Tatsuo and I are going to try and go unnoticed as much as possible, so while I'm playing waiter keep your eyes on her, don't look at me too much or she will," Gavin said handing the young man a wrench, "And try to be a little less nervous than you are now, put on that lawyer attitude like your parents do."

"So confident and argumentative?" Kit asked sarcastically.

"More like just be the way you would be around any one of us," Mikio replied shaking his head a little.

On the other side of town, Reiko was just pulling into the parking area at Emiko's workplace as instructed by her husband. She was greeted happily and shown some of the new inventory before Emiko calmed down enough for Reiko to deliver her message.

"Emiko, I came as an official messenger from Kitamura Taniguchi," the black haired woman said seriously, remaining quiet until the blonde gave a confused nod, "He requests you wear your favorite evening gown and to be ready for his arrival at your apartment by eight o'clock tonight."

Emiko gave another nod before trying to pry some information out of her friend. She got nowhere before Reiko had to leave to make a hair appointment. At eight o'clock exactly Emiko opened the door to Mikio wearing a suit with a black chauffer hat. He complimented her on the gold evening gown she'd chosen for the evening before she came out of the apartment.

"You look a little ridiculous Taniguchi-san," Emiko said with a giggle as she locked the door behind her, "Where is your brother?"

"He's waiting by the car, little nervous I think," the blonde responded as they walked casually back towards Izumi's Aristo in the parking area.

When the two arrived in the parking area Kit was standing in front of the silver machine holding a dozen wild flowers tied in a bouquet. The black haired young man was wearing a black suit with a gold tie and a nervous smile while Mikio held the door open. Emiko didn't ask how he knew to match his date or how he knew she loved just about any wild flower but she was curious none the less.

"So where are we off to this evening Kitamura-kun?" the blonde asked as Mikio maneuvered the car out of the parking lot.

"Where is the fun in spoiling the mystery?" Kit replied with a small chuckle, neither noticed Mikio rolling his eyes.

They didn't speak much, mainly failed attempts at trying to start a conversation, as they made their way to Akina's lake. When they arrived at the lake and were out of the car Kit led them to a well lit area with a small well decorated table, two chairs and two freshly lit candles in the middle of the table.

"Very romantic Kitamura-kun," Emiko managed to say through her surprise as she looked around the small area before he helped her to her chair.

"Thank you, it wasn't easy coming up with something you'd enjoy as much as I would so I settled on this," Kit replied with a smile as he took his seat across from her, "I don't know why but I've always felt somehow at home in the outdoors."

"So you figured a candle light dinner under the stars would work for me too?" Emiko asked still looking around the small area.

"Well this option also keeps us away from people who might know you and ask about me," the teenager replied with a grin, "Wouldn't want anyone thinking you were off the market because of a thirteen year old."

"No matter the reason, I do like it, and to tell you a secret I was hoping someone would ask, just to see what we came up with to stay out of trouble," the blonde woman giggled.

"Well I'm sorry for spoiling that part of the evening, maybe later on," Kit laughed.

Gavin served the chicken alfredo and also went unnoticed by Emiko as he filled their glasses. Emiko was slightly surprised to find out Kit was allowed to drink wine when in his brother's care, one of the privileges his parents had allowed for his being such a good student, but he did admit to not taking advantage of the privilege very often. When she looked down to see what they were having, her curiosity peaked and she couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"Okay, my favorite food, my favorite flowers, and," Emiko listened as a quiet tune played from somewhere close by, "My favorite kind of music, how could you possibly know?"

"I have many sources of information," Kit replied with a mysterious smile.

"You are really trying for that goodnight kiss aren't you?" the blonde asked seriously.

"Take it as you like Emiko-san, I just wanted to be sure you enjoyed tonight for what it is, a one time thing," the teenager replied a little more seriously, "Can we still do that?"

"I'm not sure, depends on what else you have up that sleeve of yours," Emiko replied sounding a little lighter.

They talked about Kit's interest in cars and Emiko's workplace, which took a little time for Kit to figure out since Emiko had to explain quite a bit about what names went with what dresses and the like. Once they had cleaned their plates Gavin slipped by once again unnoticed by Emiko since she was too busy talking to Kit.

"Tatsuo, live music time I think, she seems a lot more relaxed," Gavin said just loud enough for the radio he was wearing to hear.

Tatsuo's RX-8 was hidden in a dark corner of the parking lot. The stereo had been modified to play his cello through it for when he wanted to be out of the house and play. When the music started to come from a different direction Kit stood and offered his hand to his date for the evening.

"Would you like to dance Emiko-san?"

"You've had help tonight haven't you?" the blonde woman asked taking his hand with a smile.

"More than you know," Kit answered as they started dancing.

Emiko was quite surprised by how well the younger man could dance as they moved in time with the string band that seemed hidden from sight. After their dance ended Kit started to lead her towards another dark spot in the parking area.

"Did you take lessons to dance like that?" Emiko asked as they walked.

"As many as I could, but it did feel weird to lead this time," Kit replied with a nervous chuckle.

"Well you did very well, most instructors would let you lead once after being led though," the blonde said wrapping her arm in his and leaning against him a little.

"Oh she let me lead once or twice, but I've only had two or three lessons," the teenager said honestly as he came to a stop in front of a projector screen.

The two took a seat on some cushions on the ground and noticed when the lights in the place they'd eaten were cut off just before the screen lit up showing a few previews before the title scene started and showed Emiko's favorite movie. When the blonde looked at Kit he was laying back on the ground staring up at the stars until he felt her eyes on him.

"If I didn't know better I'd say you were stalking me," Emiko said seriously causing Kit to sit up quickly, "Tell me how you know all of my favorite things or I leave now."

"You told me, though not in the traditional face to face manner," Kitamura replied sounding a little ashamed, "For instance me knowing how to match your dress tonight, you told Nika-san during a shopping trip that your favorite dress was gold, and I asked that you wear that tonight."

"Sneaky, but true enough I guess, what about the music from a live string band nowhere in sight and the rest of it?"

"Well the music was Tatsuo-san on the other side of the parking lot with his car taking cue from Gavin-san who cooked and served us tonight, as for how I knew, most of it came from conversations you had in passing with Reiko-san over the years."

"You know, you could have said something stupid like you were psychic or something like that," Emiko said sounding a little lighter.

"Not so much, of the many things I am, when asked a direct question a liar isn't among them, plus psychic's too hard to pull off because it's not so easy to prove," Kit said with a chuckle.

"Well it's good that you're honest about it, but why don't you go send them home and you and I will let your brother take us into town where we can have a little more fun your way?" the blonde suggested.

"Mikio did say I should enjoy being the boss tonight," the teenager replied with a mischievous smile.

The rest of their 'one time date' went a lot smoother as they made their way through a few shops making up different reasons for their apparel at each one. When Mikio finally managed to convince Emiko that it was time to return home for the night Kit wasn't too pleased but accepted since it was nearly one in the morning.

"Well after the initial weirdness of going on a date with a boy ten years younger than me, I have had a great time with you tonight Kit-kun," Emiko said as the pair walked towards her apartment door.

"I had a lot of fun myself, I didn't expect you to enjoy arcade driving games," Kitamura replied with a smile that grew as Emiko once again leaned against his arm.

"Well I can't drive like that in real life like your brother and the others, so I tend to go and drive there instead."

"I almost hate that your brother talked us into coming home, but he does have a busy schedule tomorrow with the team," Emiko said when they reached her door.

"Well I guess this is goodnight, if I get lucky enough to talk you into this again we'll do it my way from the start," Kit said as he turned to leave.

Emiko grabbed his arm before he could get too far away and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before leaving him standing outside her door stunned. When Mikio came looking for his little brother he found him leaning against the railing staring off into nothing.

"Alright lover boy come on," the blonde man said with a chuckle noticing how his brother's hand rested lightly over his cheek, "We both should have been in bed twenty minutes ago."

Mikio pulled the dazed Kitamura back to the Aristo and got him back to the apartment before Izumi called a search party out for both of them. Over at the radio tower in Akina, Gavin was leaned against the guardrail looking over the message he was about to send to Shou Enomoto of the Akina Street Kings before pressing send. The reply came quickly and the buzz cut blonde raced an invisible opponent down the mountain from the start line, unknowingly breaking his previous downhill record.

The next night Gavin and Reiko took both their cars to Usui pass to meet with Shou before a race between Makato Fujimoto of the Night Wolves and the Usui Sparks' leading S13. When they arrived there were a few cheers from the crowd since most recognized them not only as members of the only undefeated team in the region but as professional racers from their own prefecture. Gavin managed to separate Shou from the rest of the teams before any hysteria set in over their arrival. Shou took his own R32 to the summit behind the toreador red FD and the harvest gold SE3P for a private chat the two were requesting.

"Okay, you've got the starter of this race at the summit before the racers, this better be good," The Street Kings leader said as Gavin and Reiko crossed the road.

"We want to join up with the Street Kings," Gavin said just before being cut off.

"No, absolutely not, I'm not going to be the one responsible for letting you two risk your careers for street racing," Shou said seriously, motioning in a 'that's final' manner.

"We're not going to race with you," Reiko replied calmly.

"Then why join up?

"Because we haven't seen either of our mountains since the season started, while we have had vacation time we spend it with family or just working somehow," Gavin answered seriously, "Look, we just want to practice with your team once in a while, between races."

"You don't have to answer us now, we'll meet you at Akina when the race is done," Reiko added before turning back towards her car.

"No promises, now get gone before those guys come up and I have to start this thing with you on the mountain," Shou replied just before watching the two Mazdas take off down the pass.

After the race was done Shou's silver R32 led all eight of the current members of the Akina Street Kings back towards their home mountain. Behind them the two top drivers of the Myogi Night Wolves followed in a snow white S15 and a silver R34. When they all arrived at Akina's downhill starting line they saw the red FD and the gold SE3P sitting on the start line looking as though they were about to start a race, though both drivers were leaning against the hoods of the cars.

"Okay, I've thought about your request, you're in under the condition I don't want to see either of you near any street race involving this team," Shou said calmly staring Gavin dead in the eye, when the blonde nodded he continued, "Welcome to the Akina Street Kings."

Gavin shook Shou's hand and went to his driver's door before turning back to the leader of his new team.

"No stickers?" the buzz cut blonde asked with half a smirk.

"Not for you two, too much risk if you wear them," the R32 driver answered seriously, "Practice on!" he shouted sending his teammates dashing for their cars just before the only two Mazdas in the team took off down the mountain.


	43. Chapter 43

Character Shizuko Furusawa belongs to OkamiWind of IDW.

* * *

Chapter 43

Over the next five months both of the Takahashi Racing teams would take victories at the Fuji and Sepang races. After the two double victories the team had a lot of attention from the press, so much so that Tatsuo and Nika decided to go back to the mountains to join the Akagi Blue Fire team because the school was swamped with press most days. They were afforded the same 'practice only' rights that Gavin and Reiko had with the Street Kings though they didn't tell anyone, same as Gavin and Reiko. Kitamura accompanied the team to not only the race at Sportsland Sugo but the second Suzuka race over his summer vacation. Tatsuo let Mikio have his race seat for those two races where the bleach blonde took second place twice in a row, taking the pole position in Suzuka on top of that, while the NSX took second and third at the two races in the GT500 category.

Off the race track all the members of the team were in some way helping to set up the nursery for Takumi and Natsuki's first child. Just after the race at Fuji, Gavin and Reiko moved into their own house a few doors down and across the street from Tatsuo and Nika's new house; though their house had an attached two car garage it had pretty much the same layout. The men's restoration project, a 1972 Nissan Fairlady Z, remained at the school waiting for its Arctic White paint and final assembly to be completed, though it did have a coat of primer to keep the new body panels from flash rusting. Takeshi and Kumiko Kanzaki had their daughter two weeks after the second race in Suzuka and named her after Kumiko's mother to Reiko's slight disappointment since her name had been a front runner when the couple found out the gender of the child.

The school's secondary course based on corners taken from F1 tracks the world over got an independent lighting system as well as a separate timing system. David Crandon purchased a GT300 ready Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 from his own pocket after the total victories at Fuji and Sepang as an incentive to keep the good work going. He also offered to get each of the drivers a car of their choosing should they take the championship. This plan backfired when Gavin informed him that he wouldn't drive the car even if he did have it and his teammates agreed with him.

The Emperors out at Irohazaka sent messengers to neighboring prefectures looking for racers willing to meet and race at middle ground courses which landed them at Mt. Akagi two Saturdays before the race in Motegi. Satoshi, the new leader of the team driving a black 1997 Lan-Evo IV, was taking this race personally so Mikio was informed by one of the lower ranking members. People were starting to line the course as the members of the Takahashi Racing Team waited at the summit of the mountain for the racers to arrive.

"Mikio, you know we could get into trouble if we're caught out here," Gavin said scanning the crowd for camera flashes.

"I only asked you guys up here to help me figure out how this race turned up, rumor has it Satoshi's opponent is from Ushiroyama pass, I don't even know where that is," the bleach blonde replied also looking around to be sure.

"Satoshi's been getting a lot better of late, I'm sure he'll be fine no matter the pass," Nika said watching as the driver in question walked towards them.

"Project GT in the mountains again, all cause of me I understand," the black haired man said with a grin.

"We're not back, just came to find out what we could," Reiko replied shaking her head a little, "Now, what can you tell us about this opponent of yours?"

"Not much, my envoy only said she drove a green Subaru Impreza WRX STI five door and she has purple hair to identify her by. Only a call sign name was given, 'Fallen Angel' I think it was."

"Watch your back with her, she was known to run folk off the mountains," Gavin said with a smirk, "She ran around with a blue Nissan or a Toyota of some kind for a little while but beyond that I don't know much."

"Just how the hell do you know that much?" Satoshi asked with a sarcastic chuckle.

"Hey, I had a life before you guys knew me, and a long trip from the base to here, tend to learn some stuff," the buzz cut blonde replied with a shrug.

The sound of an engine broke through the night air as a green 2009 Impreza WRX STI five door moved up next to Satoshi's black 1997 Lan-Evo IV. The small group moved to the start line where the two cars waited to start the downhill race. A purple haired young woman was standing next to the Impreza looking a little lost.

"You're the Fallen Angel?" Satoshi asked stepping up to greet her.

"Yes, well I used to be," the purple haired girl responded with a small smile.

"Well, I'm Satoshi, I'll be your opponent tonight, the envoy I sent out said you preferred going downhill, we do have enough time for at least two practice runs if you'd like to take the time," the black haired man said in a very diplomatic manner.

"My name is Shizuko Furusawa from Ushiroyama pass and I've been here a little while so no practice is really needed," Shizuko replied reaching to shake Satoshi's hand, "Let's have a good race."

The two drivers climbed into the cars as everyone else cleared off the track and the people with radios confirmed the road was clear. Mikio stood between the two cars and raised his hands above his head.

"FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE…GO!" the bleach blonde man shouted just before the two cars flew past him.

"The Impreza is out front," Gavin said once Mikio was back at the side of the road.

As the two cars flew into the first hairpin the green Impreza did something Satoshi had never seen done in an all wheel drive car; the tires got so close to the edge of the pavement along the inside that he thought for just a moment that it would hit the rail. The Lan-Evo just missed the proper racing line and fell behind slightly before he recovered his senses.

'_Girl is crazy,'_ Satoshi thought as he managed to close the gap before the next corner.

As the two cars flew through the next couple corners the Impreza seemed to stay very close to the inside in a few places allowing Satoshi a good way to pass if he'd noticed. The Emperor's leader's mind was watching the car rather than thinking about the race. Shizuko had noticed that her opponent was simply watching on for the moment and came up with an idea to make him get back in the race.

As the two machines moved out of the first corner set into the first fast section of the course Satoshi's mind snapped back into the real world as Shizuko seemed to slow down a fraction allowing the Lan-Evo to fly by on the outside to set the pace.

Before Satoshi could even react to being out in front the green Impreza was pinned to his Lan-Evo's rear bumper forcing the black haired man to floor the accelerator on instinct. When he put his eyes back on the road it was just in time to make the right handed corner after the straight just a hair too fast causing him to go wide and miss the line for the hairpin after.

"The Lan-Evo almost bought the farm but he's still leading the Impreza," someone said into a radio as the Lan-Evo just managed to stay off the guardrail coming out of the hairpin.

As Satoshi led the way through the first set of multiple s-turns his focus was back on the road and the Impreza was still pinned to his rear bumper. Shizuko finally made a move at the hairpin basically pushing the Lan-Evo out of the best line, using Satoshi's instinct to avoid a crash and coming out of the hairpin side by side with the black machine.

"Shit, wrong move," the purple haired girl muttered since she was on the outside of the next s-turn.

The black Lan-Evo IV moved back into the lead just before drifting through the two part corner and the hairpin that followed.

"I don't know if it was a failed attack or the right attack at the wrong moment but the green Impreza just moved the Lan-Evo off its line then dropped back," a person standing in the s-turn reported as the two cars drifted through the hairpin.

Mikio was at the summit with his ex-teammates cheering Satoshi on as the reports came through radios all around them. The leaders of the Gunma teams were talking to the now divided members of Project GT just behind the Emperors team, none of them paying much mind to the race at the time.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Shou asked directed solely at Gavin and Reiko, "I told you no race events as long as you're on my team."

"Shou, Mikio called us up here, we had no intention of coming otherwise," Gavin answered noticing the leader of the Blue Fire team had the same glare in his eye that the Street King's leader did, "Who are you glaring at Blue Fire?"

"Two of my teammates who aren't supposed to be here," the long brown haired man said pointing towards Tatsuo and Nika.

"Wait hold on, what the hell are you two talking about?" Mikio asked looking to the two team leaders having heard the Blue Fires leader say what he did.

"Gavin-san and Reiko-chan joined up with the Street Kings just after your race in Okayama, I gave them provisional membership which in their case means practice only rights, no racing," Shou answered still holding his look on Gavin and Reiko.

"Nika-san and Tatsuo-san joined up with the Akagi Blue Fire team just after the race in Sepang, gave them the same rights," the leader of the Blue Fire said keeping his eyes on Nika and Tatsuo as well.

"Well don't blame them for being here, I called them after one of my ex-teammates called me, which by the way should have been you," Mikio said pointing towards the Blue Fire leader, "This is my old team on your mountain, by my understanding you knew about this well before now."

While a small argument broke out at the summit, Satoshi and Shizuko made their way into the second set of multiple s-turns with the black Lan-Evo IV still out in the lead. Shizuko made her move in the corner right before the last set of hairpins forcing Satoshi to stay on the inside line then cutting across forcing him to brake even harder as she entered the right handed hairpin.

"The Impreza just pulled a Shinagawa and is now in the lead spot, the Lan-Evo damn near stopped!" someone in the first hairpin shouted into the radio with amazement heavy in his tone as the two cars hit the next hairpin, "I think this one is over."

That report broke the argument at the summit in a hurry as Mikio and the rest of the Takahashi Racing Team started making their way to the base of the mountain. Mikio was shouting at the four of them through the radios they always wore when driving, mostly about how they'd put their careers at risk and everything else they'd heard from the two team leaders when they joined them.

"Mikio shut up, we've heard all this before, we're okay with the risk," Gavin finally shouted shutting his teammate up for a few moments.

"Should have told me, I would have joined up with Makato and his Night Wolves," the bleach blonde said with a chuckle making everyone else chuckle.

"Couldn't do that Mikio, didn't you notice that Takako-chan's R34 was wearing a Night Wolves sticker in her window?" Tatsuo asked with a small chuckle.

"I actually did notice, anyone know when that happened?"

"About a week before Okayama, shocked the hell out of Shou and Makato both when she did it," Reiko answered quietly as they reached the bottom of the mountain.

It was only at that point they had no idea who to congratulate when they approached the two racers. Noticing the purple haired girl they'd met at the summit had the bigger smile on her face they approached her first.

"I'll speak for my teammates, congratulations on winning," Gavin said motioning to Reiko, Nika, Tatsuo and Mikio behind him before holding her hand out.

"You're congratulating the wrong racer…Sir," Shizuko said shaking his hand anyway, "He managed to distract me in the last hairpin, a blind attack I believe it was called."

"Yeah, didn't you hear the reports? Last hairpin the Lan-Evo just wasn't behind her anymore, completely vanished from sight," someone said from the crowd of people standing close by, "When it reappeared it was on the tightest inside line he could hold."

"Oh we are so asking Fujiwara-san about that," Reiko whispered to Nika as they walked over to Satoshi.

"So why didn't you guys just leave after the race?" the black haired victor asked as the group approached him.

"Had a few questions is all," Gavin said with a chuckle, "Just why did you send out envoys looking to race at middle ground race courses?"

"Was looking for a new challenge, running against the same people over in Tochigi got boring and I'm not sure my team is up to snuff with the teams here in Gunma, so I let my guys pick some places to go and invite racers to meet us," Satoshi said with a shrug, "This is our fifth race this way since I sent out the envoys, only lost one so far but it has been fun and most certainly a learning experience."

"And that blind attack? Who did you learn that little trick from?" Shizuko asked with an impressed tone.

"I picked it up from a racer that met us at Momiji Line just last week, that being the race we lost, he managed to pull it and still run over the lidless gutters so losing to that kind of skill didn't hurt as much as I thought it would," the black haired man replied before switching his attention to Shizuko, "If you want to make it back to Ushiroyama by morning Fallen Angel, best you be on your way."

"I agree, maybe we'll do this again sometime at my home course," the purple haired girl said with a smirk of confidence before she climbed into her five door Impreza and left the crowded parking area.

"We should be getting on our way too, we've got training in the morning," Gavin said towards his teammates, "Takumi-san said we'd be running the F1 course this week."

"Mikio-san, there is a guy that doesn't fit in about five meters behind you guys, he's wearing a button down shirt and slacks, looks pretty well tailored, he's got brown hair and he's about Gavin's height," Satoshi said reaching for his phone to take a picture.

The Emperors leader faked taking a picture of the team with his phone only to take a picture of the man in the background. When he showed it to Gavin the blonde just smiled and passed the phone around showing his teammates the picture of Ryosuke Takahashi standing next to his white FC.

"Well, we're either hung or he was here to watch the race," Mikio said still keeping his eyes away from their team physician and owner.

"I doubt very seriously it was the latter, Satoshi take him a note for me," Tatsuo said writing down what he wanted before handing the black haired man the note, "The rest of us are going to mine and Nika's house."

Gavin nodded as he moved Reiko towards her RX-8 while the rest of their teammates got to their own cars. Once they were on the main road running in a five car line just like when they'd drive to other mountains to practice, Mikio's curiosity got the better of him.

"What was on that note Tatsuo?" the bleach blonde asked through the radio as he followed his teammates.

"He's going to be at mine and Nika's house in about a half hour, he'll be expecting all of us so I'd call Izumi and tell her you'll be a little late getting home," Tatsuo replied calmly as he led the way to the house.

Near exactly a half hour later the distinct sound of a 13B rotary engine was heard from outside the house where the drivers and tester of the Takahashi Racing Team had gathered to meet their team's owner.

"We don't have slippers for you Ryosuke-san, so you can either keep your shoes on or walk around in socks," Nika said as she let the doctor into the house.

"I have to wonder why you asked me here from Akagi tonight," Ryosuke said slipping his shoes off his feet before walking around to the couch.

"We wanted to explain our presence there, and warn you of a few things," Tatsuo replied with a calm tone as he stood across from the man, "I think Mikio is the only one of us not currently practicing in the mountains with an active team."

"Why tell me?" the brown haired doctor asked as he remained standing, "I was out there because I received a phone call from a rather long term rival of mine from before I retired from street racing, I saw your cars and chose to ignore the fact you were there at all."

"Someone thought you might have worked for the press, when we saw it was you we figured we should at least explain why we went back to the mountains," Gavin replied from his place near the front window.

"Well, if you feel the need, I'll listen then."

"Reiko and I, well me in particular, went back just after Okayama because we wanted to help a friend out because he'd lost a team member to another team. It was also just to give us a way to blow off a little steam after training," the buzz cut blonde said staring out the window towards the driveway.

"Nika and I went to the Akagi Blue Fire team after those two double victories when the press at the training grounds got so out of control. We're there as teachers but they offer safe haven on practice nights by leaving two cars at the base at all times," Tatsuo said still staring rather intently at Ryosuke trying to figure out what his reaction might be.

"I can't stop you from going back to your roots as racers, but I do caution you to keep your appearances as low profile as possible, taking pictures with fans while at an event like that not being one of those ways," Ryosuke said with the smallest of smirks.

"I hate to say this Ryosuke-san, but it was you who got his picture taken tonight," Reiko said with a hint of amusement in her tone.

It didn't take much longer for Ryosuke to get the entire picture of the evening from his drivers before they were willing to let him leave. Mikio still didn't look too pleased even though he was the only one of them walking away unpunished, the main drivers getting extra laps tacked onto their training in the black cars.

"What's up Taniguchi?" Gavin asked noticing the man's appearance.

"I don't understand why you couldn't have told me about all this. I could have kept it to myself or joined up with one of the other teams even," the bleach blonde replied leaning against a wall.

"Mikio, Tatsuo and I didn't even know Reiko and Gavin had gotten back in until tonight and by the way they reacted up there tonight, they didn't know about us either," Nika said as she took a spot on the couch.

"We wanted it that way Mikio, the fewer people that knew the better," Tatsuo added placing a hand on the older man's shoulder.

"Not to mention Izumi would kill us all if you came back to the mountains with anyone but us," Gavin said with a chuckle that seemed contagious.

"Then why not put the team back together? Project GT back on the war path to be the fastest in the pass," Mikio said sounding like a kid hoping to get a new toy.

"Do you honestly think anyone would take on a group of professional race drivers willingly? Especially since most every team has lost to us in the past," Tatsuo replied dousing his oldest teammate's hopes quickly, "Look we just went back as a way to blow off steam and get away from the press occasionally, none of us are allowed to race or even be at the races as you saw."

Mikio simply nodded and quietly left the house and headed for his own home, Gavin and Reiko following his example shortly after Gavin falsely complained about Nika and Tatsuo not having enough seating for a get together. The next morning after practice started Izumi and Natsuki were in the building watching the practice away from the early morning dampness while the school's black NSX was being chased around the completed 'F1 course' by the black FD.

Gavin and Tatsuo were enjoying themselves since the cars had both been set to race settings since they only had five days before they had to drive out to Motegi for the race. Tatsuo was allowing the FD to come off its line slightly through the eleventh corner of the course, a long right hander that tightened up into a u-turn before its exit, as he chased the NSX through the corner. Gavin was mostly watching the FD do its thing through the rear view mirror as he made his way around the course.

"Mr. Reynolds get your head in the game, he shouldn't be that close, shake your teammate off and start racing," Keisuke's voice came through the blonde's radio as the two cars cleared the tight left handed hairpin after the u-turn.

"Yes Sir," Gavin muttered with a smirk as he floored the throttle and started training seriously.

As the two cars cleared the next few corners and entered the longest straight in the course, even from the distance they were watching from, no one could hear anything over the engines of the two cars as the gap between them grew. When the two machines cleared the next corners it was perfectly clear that a real race had started on the track between the two cars. Tatsuo watched as the gap opened up as the NSX started a proper flying lap at the start finish line but all he could do was wait for the corners to close it as he too pushed the FD into its highest gears.

"Maybe you shouldn't have said 'racing'," Takumi said with a chuckle as the two cars made their way through the s-turns.

"Yeah I may have made a mistake there," Keisuke replied with a 'too late now' kind of tone.

Through every corner of the remaining laps the two men had, Tatsuo was either able to close the gap or even make a passing attempt over the faster machine, though he never succeeded. When Nika took the FD's seat during a pit stop neither man realized what they'd started until Reiko took the NSX's seat for her laps. The team set more records across the new course for the school's next class in one day then they had in two months on the old course; to Takumi and Keisuke this seemed like it was caused by two little words. Nika and Reiko fought for top speed using the long straight after the first loop and hairpin corners while Tatsuo, Mikio and Gavin went for overall lap records or section times.

By the time training was called to an end Gavin had set the lowest lap time for the NSX, setting the track record at the same time, while Mikio took the FD's lowest lap time. Reiko won the bout for highest recorded speed overall but Nika took several of the lowest section times in the FD and Tatsuo managed to take the FD's highest recorded speed.

"You're telling me two words started records like these? After they'd driven this course several times?" Nobuhiko asked when Ryosuke showed him the information after most of the team had been dismissed.

"It would seem telling them to race each other has a little more effect than we thought, Keisuke simply stumbled on it today," the doctor answered looking over a second copy of the numbers, "We may let them do this again, but it might hurt more than help this late in the season."

"I can't see how, they've practically been racing each other since they started here, they don't seem any worse off as far as the relationships go," the black haired man said leaning back in his chair a little.

"I was talking more physically, Mr. Sasaki stumbled getting out of the car during the driver change out, he'd been going full throttle for nearly fifty laps," Ryosuke replied calmly, "Mr. Reynolds seemed the only one unaffected by the change of pace."

"From what I understand he's been racing a lot longer than his teammates, a few years more in fact, it could simply be that he's used to racing through this kind of strain."

"That could be, or the more likely theory is that he knows how to hide his fatigue very well, either way this kind of training day doesn't happen again before the race at Motegi," Ryosuke said before he stood and walked out the door to meet with his brother who was still track side.

Over in the garage Tatsuo and Gavin were still at the school doing a little work on the project car Tatsuo had bought just after the start of the season. The men were trying to get the car to a rolling chassis so they could get it into the temporary paint booth they'd set up for the project and get the car its first few coats of paint before going to Motegi.

"So you're sure about that Arctic White paint?" Gavin said as he put together all the new suspension parts on the front left wheel.

"Yeah, I'd rather do a factory restoration than paint it some other color," Tatsuo answered as he worked opposite his brother in-law.

"Alright then, but I figured Nika would like this thing in blue or something other than white," the buzz cut blonde said with a chuckle.

"I've tried to get her to pick the color for this thing, but since she thinks it's just a project car and will probably be sold once it's done she wants nothing to do with it," the black haired man laughed, "So I chose the factory color."

"You still haven't told her it's a Z yet have you?"

"Not directly no, I do call it a Nissan when referring to it though."

"Well now see that isn't fair, because she drives a Z33 and she was always talking about getting a Skyline before, she might think the thing is an old Skyline or something at this point," Gavin laughed as he put the finishing touches on his corner of the car before he moved to the back corner.

"Well if she doesn't figure it out till the end of the season so much the better, but after it's put together and painted I'm not taking it apart again so I've got a cover that I hope will hide it well enough," Tatsuo replied as he too moved to the back of the car, "Are we going to tape off the windows before you paint it?"

"Nah, we primed it with all the windows and the interior out of it so I figured we'd paint it the same way, less to worry about spraying if we do it that way and painting the pillars looks better than if you don't."

"I've been meaning to ask when you learned to paint."

"When Grandpa and I rebuilt my FD after he bought it for my fifteenth birthday. I learned a lot about hiding the bracing and a little about doing interior work though I'm not very good at it."

"What do you mean hiding the bracing?" Tatsuo asked through the open quarter window of the S30Z.

"I'll show you after we've got this thing in the booth and ready for paint," Gavin answered with a chuckle.

The two men worked for another two hours getting the body panels lined up just so and put an old set of tires on an even older set of rims so they didn't have to cover them while painting. With Wataru and Kyoko's help they got the 1972 Nissan parked in the paint booth for what was left of the day before they taped off a couple of small places and called it quits. Gavin led the small group to his FD since Tatsuo had told the team's two lead mechanics about what the blonde had said and it gained their interest as well.

When he opened the door he simply pulled up a corner of the carpeting just behind the passenger seat up on the back deck. Underneath a piece of quarter inch thick steel plate about four inches wide ran the width of the car. Under the molding that covered the original seat belt locations another piece was shown to go up to the roof, across it and down the opposite pillar.

"This is hiding body bracing, two solid pieces of quarter inch thick flat steel to brace against twisting," Gavin said once he'd placed all the loose pieces on one of the seats, "Grandpa originally did this to act as a roll bar and as you can see it's also the hold point for the harnesses."

"Pretty clever, but how much extra weight did all this add?" Wataru asked looking the interior over.

"These two pieces alone added somewhere close to a forty-five kilos I think, but it was lost to lighter weight components in the suspension and such," the buzz cut blonde answered sounding a little uncertain of his estimate, "It wasn't until after the 20B went in that it started acting as a brace to keep the car straight."

"How did he come up with this?" Kyoko asked from the driver's side of the car.

"Back in the States Grandpa ran autocross with old muscle cars he'd restore. One year he turned a car over during an event and the roof gave, so he put a roll bar in the next one," Gavin said smiling as his mind showed him a few of the cars he'd played in during his younger years, "Anyway, the show he went to said he couldn't have the roll bar and get full points for any awards so he took it out right after the autocross event and took home best in show. This was his solution on the following car; hide the bracing but use something just as solid as steel bars to brace it."

"What other bracing does your FD have in it?" Kyoko asked stepping out of the car.

"I removed most of it before I moved out here, everything else was tack welded in a few spots, this is pretty well one solid weld all the way around, I'd risk taking out a big hunk of metal that needs to be there if I tried to remove it."

"Did he ever find out if this worked as a roll bar?" Wataru asked still looking at the metal.

"Not in the way anyone would have expected but yeah it works."

"Why do I get the funny feeling you're the one who proved it?" Tatsuo said with a laugh as his brother in-law turned bright red, "What happened? You turn it over showing off for some girl?"

"Actually I did it showing off in front of my friends, went down an embankment sideways with one of his muscle cars when I was ten and it rolled, the harness he had in it held up better than my butt did and both shoulder straps broke loose of the hold points and left me hanging by my waist," Gavin said rubbing his neck nervously, "Never did take to show offs after that," he added with a chuckle.

"Surprised he was willing to buy you a car three years before you got your driver's license after something like that," Tatsuo said seriously, "Not to mention help you with its complete overhaul into a racing machine like this one."

Wataru was still checking the car out, ignoring the stories the car's driver was telling, pulling back the carpets in a few places and finding the weld points for not only bracing used in drag racing to keep the chassis straight coming off the hard launches but open road and autocross racing to keep the whole car from twisting as well. He couldn't get under the seats but he had suspicions that there might have been more under them.

"Wataru-san, can I have my car back?" Gavin asked noticing his work car's mechanic still looking around the heavily modified FD.

"Only once you tell us if there is anything else about this car we missed," Kyoko said with a small smile, "You know, like a buried treasure somewhere."

"No buried treasure Kyoko-san, this is the last thing you missed, but this and the transmission were missed because you believed your eyes instead of asking," the buzz cut blonde said with chuckle which earned him a glare from the GT300 mechanic, "I'll be back tomorrow to start painting that hot rod, we'll have to slip the engine and transmission in after it's painted."

"Just remember you only have four days to paint, sand and clear coat it before we leave for Motegi," Wataru said calmly as Gavin climbed into his FD.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Early in the morning on the first day of the Motegi race weekend the Takahashi Racing Team was looking for ways to kill nearly two hours before practice started. Takeshi Kanzaki, SC430 driver and the previous season's GT500 champion, had dropped by to talk for a while and was listening to Gavin and Tatsuo's tales of mischief and having a few laughs while Nika and Reiko were in the kitchen fixing some drinks for everyone.

Gavin was telling the story about his grandfather's dog tags when the families of his teammates came in. They all remained quiet as a grey haired man and a graying blonde haired woman stepped into the motor home behind them. When Reiko came around the corner and saw everyone the grey haired man stopped her from saying anything while her husband was still talking.

"Reiko-chan, when Gavin stops talking I want you to use that military voice of yours and say 'Colonel on deck' and let us all see just how fast your husband jumps to attention," the man whispered as he gave the young woman a long hug.

When the buzz cut blonde stopped telling his story a few moments later Reiko did as she was asked causing her husband to snap to attention and salute so quickly that his chair toppled over behind him. Mikio and Tatsuo were on the floor laughing their heads off before anyone else could react causing Gavin to turn several shades of red before he found his voice again.

"Welcome back to Japan Colonel, I trust your flight was an easy one," the buzz cut blonde said sounding more formal than most of his teammates had ever heard while still holding the salute.

"It was indeed Lieutenant, now come let an old man greet his son properly," Steven replied giving a loose salute before Gavin stepped up to his father and hugged him.

"What are you doing here? I thought you wouldn't be back until the championship race."

"We got a call informing us that you were feeling a bit out of sorts so we thought you'd like a surprise dear," Helen Reynolds, the graying blonde, said with a warm smile while hugging her son.

While Gavin and his parents talked, Tatsuo and Mikio had to explain to Takeshi that Gavin's family was so military that it was practically encoded in their DNA to snap to attention when seeing a superior officer. Once things calmed down a little bit the brown haired SC430 driver introduced himself to everyone before excusing himself and leaving everyone to their families to return to his own paddock and call his wife at home.

"So, you're a lieutenant?" Tatsuo asked as the two men watched their families talk back and forth.

"It's just honorary, no commission," Gavin replied calmly, "Haven't been called by rank since I was eighteen in fact."

At the table discussion of old family traditions had come up before Helen noticed that Nika's only family appeared to be her father since her step-mother hadn't been at the first race at Motegi either.

"Nika-chan, can I ask why your mother isn't here?" the graying blonde asked causing all the drivers of the Takahashi Racing Team to tense up right along with Nika's father.

Nika simply stood up and went back to the bedroom where she would sleep at night for the whole weekend without saying anything; Izumi and Reiko followed shortly after to be sure she was okay.

"Did I say something wrong?" Helen asked noticing that Tatsuo and Gavin looked just as worried as Reiko and Izumi had before they followed Nika.

"Nika's biological mother was killed in a car accident when she was seven. She was making a grocery run, icy roads and near white out weather led to the car getting wrapped around a light pole, no one could have seen it coming, but Nika blames herself because she asked for ice cream after she got her tonsils out," Nika's father answered calmly, though, for those who knew what to look for, his grief was visible in his eyes even sixteen years later, "Nika's step-mother never cared for racing of any kind so Nika never really took to her either."

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Helen replied just before standing up and going back to the room she'd seen the other girls go into.

The remaining hour before practice started passed quickly as the drivers talked to their families with no worries. The practice session itself seemed to pass equally as fast when they were finally allowed to start. Keisuke and Takumi noticed huge differences in each driver's moods and laps as they worked to set both cars for qualifying the next day. Ryosuke was making sure both pit crews stayed on their toes with a few practice runs of their own after two or three minor slips during previous races. The whole team felt some new sense of life now that they had returned to the site of their first, though unofficial, victory as a team.

Once the practice session was called to an end Shou Enomoto, leader of the Akina Street Kings, and his primary downhiller, Matsuda, were in the garage talking with Mikio as Gavin and Tatsuo pulled the two team cars back into the garage area. Makato Fujimoto and Takako Shinagawa, the two leading members of the Myogi Night Wolves, weren't far behind the cars talking with Reiko and Nika as they too came into the garage area.

"Didn't buy everyone tickets this time Makato-san?" Gavin asked with a chuckle as he shook the black haired man's hand.

"Just Takako's this time, Shou and Matsuda paid their own way," the Night Wolves leader replied with a chuckle of his own, "Let's take this conversation out of the public eye, I've got a question for everyone here," he added sounding a little more serious.

Once the visiting street racers were settled in the motor home's small dining area Mikio kept them entertained while his teammates went to change back into more comfortable clothing.

"So what was that question you wanted to ask?" Tatsuo asked once they were all in the same place.

"I was wondering if anyone here might know what happened to the 3R3 team? I called their leader up about a week ago to try and set up a race and got nothing but a message saying his number was disconnected," Makato said with some concern lacing his tone over the well being of a fellow racer.

"They haven't been to Akagi any night Nika and I have, but I'll ask the Blue Fire's leader and see if he knows," Tatsuo responded before getting up to call his new found leader.

"All you have here is a bunch of Street Kings now, and I was beginning to wonder what happened to them myself," Shou added while watching Tatsuo leave the small space, "They stopped showing up at any of the gatherings nearly three months ago, I'd see them in the gallery once in a while up till about two weeks, maybe a month ago, so at the time I didn't think much of it."

A few theories were thrown back and forth while Tatsuo was talking on the phone, though when he did return to the conversation he brought nothing new with him. Mikio seemed to be keeping to himself for most of the conversation as the theories were passed around or disproved until Gavin took notice.

"Awful quiet over there Taniguchi, what's on your mind?" the buzz cut blonde asked getting his teammate's attention.

"The 3R3 team disbanded, their leader and the driver of the R33 had a massive blow out fight, the driver of the R34 is now a member of the Usui Sparks, the R33 driver is over in Tochigi with the Emperors, their leader has quit racing," Mikio said with a nervous hitch in his voice as he spoke.

"Satoshi told you didn't he?" Gavin asked with a teasing tone until the bleach blonde shook his head.

"I joined up with the Usui Sparks last week, found out then," the team's tester replied looking everywhere but at the group of people.

"Why didn't you guys just pick a new name and come back to the mountains that way?" Takako asked with a joking tone.

"They still could you know and then we'd all get creamed," Matsuda said making everyone laugh.

The small group of street racers left when a reporter showed up with Fumihiro and Ryosuke to interview the drivers about their lives outside the track after so many victories in their first season. About an hour later Takeshi Kanzaki showed up for dinner at Gavin's invitation and the journalist couldn't keep his notes straight from laughing so hard as the four men of the group started joking around with each other.

"Do you get along with the other teams this well or just Kanzaki-san?" the journalist asked once dinner was served and the men calmed down.

"We don't actually interact with a lot of the other teams aside from a few conversations after races, Kanzaki-san searched us out at Suzuka after we met at a practice race in Motegi last year," Gavin replied calmly, "Reiko and I have a standing dinner date with him and his wife after the races."

"Which reminds me, I hope you've brought a nice car this time, our reservations are at a really strict standard type of place," Takeshi said with a small smirk.

"My father in-law has already agreed to let us take his car since he's heard of the place, long as I have it back in the garage before noon the next day I should be okay," Gavin said with a chuckle.

"On that note, Reynolds-kun I understand your parents are here for this race, after missing most of the season," the journalist said sounding a little disappointed at his parents, "How do you feel about that?"

"I'm extremely happy about it, my father was setting aside his vacation time so he could spend a month or two here in Japan for and after the championship race, so this was quite the surprise," the buzz cut blonde said smiling towards Reiko.

After a few more questions the journalist left with compliments on Gavin's cooking and the almost familial feeling the team had. Takeshi left a few minutes later to rejoin his team for the night.

The next morning the entire team seemed to be running in top gear as they prepped the FD and the NSX for qualifying. Nika and Reiko took the first laps leaving the final standings to their teammates. Gavin's good mood allowed him to set one of the lowest lap times in the Motegi circuit's history, though he left the Super GT series lap record intact. Tatsuo's competitive nature towards Gavin while on the track allowed the team to take both pole positions when qualifying was called to an end.

When Gavin returned to the paddock Emiko was standing near the team's tool boxes talking with Nika and Kitamura Taniguchi. The youngest 'member' of the team had a slight blush on his cheeks clearly remembering the small goodnight kiss on the cheek the older blonde had given him at the end of their date. Gavin couldn't help but chuckle when the teenager started to stammer slightly when he was asked a question.

"Gavin-san, that last lap you ran was awesome," Kitamura exclaimed when he saw the buzz cut blonde coming their way.

"Thank you Kit, felt pretty awesome too," the buzz cut blonde replied with a smile.

"How were you able to keep the NSX from flying out of the v-turn while going so fast?" the black haired young man asked starting the same interrogation he'd always go through when he was allowed to come to the qualifying sessions.

"I'll tell you over dinner, that way I have a little time to rest and maybe figure it out myself," Gavin replied with a chuckle.

"Emiko would you like to join us too? It's just us drivers and Kit tonight," Nika asked making Kitamura turn a few different shades of red.

"Sure thing, Gavin's cooking right?" the blonde haired woman asked looking to the oldest person in the small group.

The buzz cut blonde simply nodded before he continued on his path towards the motor home to start fixing a small meal for the rest of the team that would be quick to eat before he'd start on the driver's dinner. While they were around the small dinner table Emiko sat next to Kitamura simply to make him blush all over again.

"Kit-kun, you don't have to be embarrassed around me," the young blonde said in a sweet tone when she caught the young man stammering again.

"We all know what happened on your date Kit, including the fact your brother had to drag you back to the car," Gavin said with a chuckle as the teenager turned a few more shades of red this time with a bit of anger on top of the embarrassed blush.

"And none of us have teased you about it yet, so lighten up a little," Tatsuo said with a more serious tone than his teammate.

Kitamura nodded a little but was still red in the face and kept quiet for most of the meal. When Emiko and Reiko had finished their dinner and walked outside the black haired young man finally lightened up and started talking like he normally would with the two older men.

"So where are Mikio and Izumi tonight?" Kit asked as he finished up his dinner.

"They went to see Izumi's parents tonight since we're up here in Tochigi and it's been a while," Nika answered before taking her plate and his back to the kitchen.

"So why are you so nervous around Emiko-chan all of a sudden?" Tatsuo asked with a concerned tone once his future wife was out of earshot, "I mean last time you asked her out without a hint of second thought."

"I don't know what it is honestly, I just feel like an idiot around her," Kitamura replied quietly.

"Don't feel bad, I feel like an idiot around Reiko sometimes and I'm married to her," Gavin said sounding a lot more serious than he had before, "Just the way guys get around the girls they love I guess."

"I don't love Emiko-san!"

"I didn't mean to say you loved her that way Kit," Gavin said calmly despite the teenager's nearly busting his ear drums, "She was your first real date, and by the way you're acting around her, your first kiss too, you'll always remember that and love that memory."

"Do you remember your first kiss?"

"A girl in third grade that I'd liked since first grade," Tatsuo replied with a chuckle, "Didn't last till fourth grade but it still counts as a first kiss."

"Mine was in fourth grade, kissed a really cute fifth grader in the middle of the school, got slapped across the face for it too," Gavin said with a chuckle when he heard Nika drop the dishes in the kitchen, "What about you Nika?" he asked knowing now that she was still listening.

"A boy in my third grade class kissed me on a dare once, the first romantic kiss though wasn't until fifth grade," the brown haired woman replied poking her head around the corner.

As Kitamura continued to listen to a few funny stories from Gavin, Tatsuo and Nika, Reiko and Emiko were sitting on the hood of the team's NSX in the garage area since the mechanics were through with it, talking about the blonde's college classes and similar subjects until Reiko was told to turn in for the night.

The race started a little behind schedule because of a freak rainstorm that cropped up overnight and was still drenching both car and track with water around starting time. After a ten minute delay the rain had let up enough to get the race started safely. The NSX and FD of the Takahashi Racing Team took their places at the heads of both packs with Reiko and Nika at their wheels. By the time they returned to their spots after the warm-up lap the rain had almost completely stopped and several of the pit crews were running a few drills with practice racks on the rain soaked pavement before the official start. When Reiko launched her red and gold machine off the start line she pulled Takeshi Kanzaki's partner and his blue SC430 right along with her allowing them to take second place from their starting third.

Hiro, Motegi's own head pit judge, was assigned to the Takahashi Racing Team's NSX for the duration of this race, and as the lap counts racked up and the first pit stops were starting to roll in the NSX was among them. The black haired man nearly fell on his butt when even to him, a man with twenty years worth of watching pit stops behind him, it seemed as though the red and gold machine never stopped at all. When the driver change out window opened he was even more surprised to see Reiko stay out an extra lap before coming in and giving up the seat to Gavin.

"What is with your team today Keisuke-kun?" Hiro asked after the NSX had left pit lane, having lost a position due to bad exit timing.

"I don't know but they're on fire today for sure," the spiky haired blonde replied with a chuckle.

"Well would you mind telling them to slow up a little? I can't keep eyes on the car like I used to," the black haired man said with a chuckle of his own.

"Nope, won't do it, we're here to win remember? It's your own fault that your old age is catching up with you," Keisuke replied with a chuckle before turning his attention back to the race.

Up in the private box that the team's sponsor had reserved Natsuki, Izumi and all of the drivers' parents were talking about different things while watching the race, or at least checking the running order when they wanted. Ryosuke was in the box as well at Takumi's request to keep an eye on Natsuki since she was five months pregnant. David Crandon, the manager of the team's main sponsor, was there with his wife on orders from his company, not that he would have missed this race to begin with.

"So Izumi-chan, since nothing is happening on the track right now, I've been meaning to ask how you actually met Mikio-kun," Natsuki asked as the two sat down on one of the plush couches to really watch the last twenty laps of the race.

"We actually met at a party Satoshi-san was throwing, Mikio knew him before he started his team so that's how he got invited, one of the girls I knew invited me along cause she thought I needed to be around more people," the auburn haired woman answered with a smile, "He was the first person to actually talk to me the whole evening and I mean really talk, not just 'hi' or 'how are you?' and then walking off."

"He tried to talk your ear off about cars the whole night didn't he?"

"Not at all, we talked about where he was taking his college courses, where I wanted to take mine and things like that for the most part, I honestly didn't know he was into racing at all until our first real date."

When there were only fifteen laps left in the race, Gavin had managed to work his way back into the lead spot of the GT500 category with Takeshi Kanzaki and his SC430 chasing right behind him. Tatsuo was nipping at the heels of the leader of the GT300 category while also fighting off the third place driver. At the seventh corner, a loose ninety degree left, Takeshi's SC430's right rear exploded just as it entered the corner. The blue machine slid out of the track and barrel rolled twice before landing with its roof on the ground.

"Where did Takeshi go?!" Gavin half shouted when he noticed his main rival and friend wasn't behind him anymore, "Tell me something Keisuke-san, this… oh shit."

The buzz cut blonde looked through the windshield and spotted what was left of Takeshi's SC430 sitting in the dirt between the seventh corner and the straight after the eighth just as he came around the eighth corner itself.

"Gavin-kun, they're putting the whole field on caution, slow up," Keisuke's voice came through the radio; even he sounded a little shaken.

It wasn't the first crash they'd ever witnessed but this one seemed to hit harder than all the others. Reiko regained her senses first and ran out of the paddock to find Kumiko in her husband's pit box. Gavin was asking for constant updates as they made their way slowly back around the course while Nika and Mikio were just watching the car from the top of the team's boxes.

"What's going on, is he alright?" the buzz cut blonde driving the red and gold NSX currently leading the whole pack asked as they approached the sixth corner in the caution lap.

"He's out of the car, walking on his own and seems to be okay," Keisuke's voice replied through the radio sounding just as relieved as Gavin felt.

Kumiko and Reiko were at the track's small clinic waiting for Takeshi to be brought in; the race had gotten back up to pace and from what the commentators were saying Tatsuo had taken the lead of the GT300 set. When the brown haired man walked in Kumiko slapped him nearly hard enough to knock him off his feet earning a surprised gasp from Reiko and the nurse behind them.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again, I know you've crashed before and I know you've always come back from it, but this time I thought you might not," Kumiko said through the tears in her eyes and the knot in her throat.

Takeshi simply pulled his wife to him and held her close for a couple of minutes as she cried into his chest. Reiko and the nurse slipped out of the room quietly just before the doctor went in to give the driver a full going over. Takeshi and Kumiko came to the Takahashi Racing Team's pit box with ten laps left in the race to at least give Nika and Reiko the doctor's 'you're fine but you'll probably feel it more tomorrow' diagnosis and to hang out for the rest of the race.

With five laps left Takeshi climbed to the top of the team's observation box and took the radio headset off Keisuke's ears before putting it on. Keisuke simply shook his head and stood from his seat allowing Takeshi to take his place.

"Alright Gavin-kun, you're in the lead and I've got you for the last five laps, now push that NSX to the limit," the brown haired man said just after sitting down.

"Kanzaki-san, I'm glad you're on my side," Gavin said as he floored the throttle making the red and gold machine scream to a whole new high.

"You've got enough fuel to keep this up till the end of the race," Takeshi said looking over the telemetry from the car's computer.

"Think my tires will hold up?"

"Gavin, that doesn't really matter at this point, now fly that car the way I know you can," Takeshi replied seriously as Gavin crossed the start finish line.

"Takeshi-san you shouldn't be doing this, you'll be seen as a traitor or something," the press officer from Takeshi's team pleaded desperately only to be completely ignored by the man, "Please Kumiko-san tell him he shouldn't be doing this."

"Oh shut up you idiotic wind bag and let my husband do as he pleases," the black haired woman replied before grabbing the man by the ear and dragging him out of the pit box and returning.

"Remind me not to piss you off Kumiko-san," Keisuke said with a chuckle as she approached them.

"You shouldn't need reminding Keisuke-kun," Kumiko replied with a 'you know better' look just as the last lap of the race ended for the Takahashi Racing Team with Gavin crossing the line nearly a full two seconds ahead of the second place car. Tatsuo crossed the line leading the second place car by the paint on his back bumper.

"Keisuke-san, I'd like to thank you for allowing me to take the radio without a fuss," Takeshi said as he stepped off the box, "Come on up to the house some time, the boy misses you," he added with a chuckle before he and Kumiko left to get ready for their dinner date with Gavin and Reiko.

During the short walk back to his team's paddock Takeshi Kanzaki received three phone calls from different sponsors telling him how highly they thought of him personally for taking over the radio of a friend's team after crashing out of the race. He was just walking into the paddock as he hung up his phone from the third call and his team manager and the team's owner were both standing there waiting for him.

"Two races left in the season and you go and help another team win instead of being here to deal with the press," the team's manager said with an angered tone.

"Yeah, what of it? They knew where to find me, they didn't come," Takeshi replied coolly.

"I understand that they are your friends off the course, but on it and during the race they are our rivals. Do you know what the sponsors might say about all this?"

"Well we crashed out of this race and therefore knew we wouldn't win, what's there to say about me helping my friends after something like that?"

"It doesn't matter to you that your team needed your input to figure out what happened and they didn't have it because you were off playing with another team?" the team owner asked joining the conversation. Though his tone had a hint of anger in it he sounded calm.

"Well considering all that happened was my tire exploded because I got stupid with them, I honestly didn't think they needed it explained to them, our mechanics are pretty smart after all," Takeshi replied with a half sarcastic tone.

"Consider yourself warned, you do this again and we'll terminate your contract," the team manager said with a tone cold as ice trying to get Kanzaki to falter.

"Then consider this my notice, after the twenty-four hour race next year I'm gone, until that race I'm just a tester after Fuji," Takeshi replied with an equally serious tone, "Oh and I'll be taking a few sponsors with me when I go cause I've already gotten a couple of calls saying they loved my little stunt, so if you'll excuse me, I have dinner reservations."

As Takeshi and Kumiko walked back towards the Takahashi Racing Team's motor home his team's owner was still in shock about the possibilities of losing not only three sponsors but a champion driver. The team manager was still extremely pissed off that his brown haired driver had showed such disrespect to them both.

After all the celebrations were done and the press finally backed off a little Reiko, Tatsuo, Nika and Gavin all four went back to their own paddock to relax a little and deal with some excited fans Fumihiro had warned them about. It wasn't long until Gavin and Takeshi were waiting in the garage area for their wives to get ready for dinner. Takeshi was wearing a three piece tuxedo, his short brown hair neatly combed and his shoes shined while Gavin only wore a shirt and tie under his tuxedo jacket because he forgot to pack his vest.

"Gavin-kun, I want you to do three things in this order, listen, think and then answer, okay?" Takeshi asked in a more serious tone than their earlier joking around.

"Pretty sure I can handle that, what's up?" the buzz cut blonde replied with an equally serious tone.

"My contract is up at the end of this season, after the championship race I've only got one left, the twenty four hours of Le Mans in France," the brown haired man said getting a nod from his friend to continue, "I can choose the person who replaces me and choose two drivers for the Le Mans race."

"I'm not quite sure I'm following you," Gavin replied sounding a little confused.

"My team is looking to replace me for the next Super GT season, but my current contract includes next year's twenty four hour race."

Gavin still looked a little confused and Takeshi could understand why the blonde's brain might not have been all there, he'd just won a race and he was probably exhausted from the press conference and everything else after it.

"I'll lay it out point blank for you since your brain is probably in bed instead of here right now, I want you and Reiko to join me for the Le Mans race next year, but I also want you to take my SC430 next season," the brown haired man said with a smile, though after a few moments in silence he began to wonder if he'd overwhelmed the younger man, "Gavin-kun, are you alright?"

"You said to listen, then think and then answer, I'm thinking," the buzz cut blonde replied with a stupid grin earning him a laugh and a playful but forceful shove from the older man, "Why do they want to replace you?" he asked with a more serious tone after their laughter died down.

"Two championships in a row followed by a less than stellar two wins, a few poles and a handful of second place finishes isn't exactly 'let's keep him around' material," Takeshi replied with a joking tone, "Not to mention that little stunt I pulled after crashing my car today."

"You've had a pregnant wife and young son on your mind this season. Can't they give you one more season to prove you're still a winning driver?"

"Much as I'd like to think I've still got the touch, I'd rather see my daughter grow up."

"Why don't you think about teaching at Ryosuke-san's school?" Reiko asked from behind the two men.

"I'll take it up with Keisuke-san when we get back to the circuit tonight," Takeshi replied with a chuckle.

The two couples enjoyed a quiet dinner before going their separate ways at the circuit's entrance to the paddock. Gavin and Reiko were told they could go back to Gunma since most of the team and their families had already left. Takeshi and Kumiko returned to their hotel room to talk more about the suggestion that Reiko had made before dinner.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Four days after the race at Motegi, while Reiko, Gavin, Mikio and Izumi were all at Mt. Akina for Reiko's first official battle as a member of the Akina Street Kings, Nika and Tatsuo were sitting in their living room making sure they had everything ready for their wedding two days later.

"So, why did your parents want to pay for our wedding?" Nika asked as she leaned back into the couch, "Isn't it traditional for the bride's family to pay?"

"Well since they didn't get to pay for Reiko's wedding, they at least want to help with ours so they're paying half and your Dad is paying for your dress and whatever's left," Tatsuo answered with a chuckle as he sat down next to his soon to be wife.

"Bet my step-mom loved that idea, marry me off to some rich guy and let his parents pay the way," the brown haired woman said sarcastically, "Seems right up her alley."

"You know, that's something I've always wondered about, just how did an obvious gold digger like her catch your Dad's eye?" the black haired man asked with genuine curiosity, "From what you and your father both have told me about your Mom, your step-mother is nothing even remotely close to her."

"She used to be a lot nicer, when I was fifteen, Dad introduced me to her for the first time and she seemed like a perfectly nice person and a damn good secretary for Dad."

"So what happened to that person?"

"About a year after they got married everything kind of went to hell, she started getting bossy with me and Dad just rolled over and let her do it. After nearly ten years of just me and him, I think that did more damage than just her being bossy."

"I guess it happens that way sometimes," Tatsuo said wrapping an arm around Nika and pulling her close to him, "So everything is ready for Saturday, any idea as to what Reiko has planned for your night tomorrow?"

"Can't say for sure honestly, all I'm supposed to know is that Gavin is cooking for all of us before everything else starts up," the brown haired bride to be said with a laugh.

"I was always taught that the night before a wedding was meant to be spent apart from each other," her husband to be said with a chuckle of his own.

"Well we're just breaking all kinds of wedding traditions then aren't we?" Nika replied as she continued to laugh.

Meanwhile at Mt. Akina's summit, Reiko's race had come to an end in a resounding win for the GT500 driver and everyone from the Gunma mountains that had been invited to Nika and Tatsuo's wedding were gathered in one of the pull off areas. Gavin was standing in the middle of the small crowd going over the major plans for the following evening.

"Okay, the plan is to have Tatsuo's bachelor party at Akagi since that's his home course," the buzz cut blonde said catching the attention of every female member of the Blue Fire team, "Nika's is going to be at Myogi since that was her home course before she met all of us," He added quickly seeing the women glaring at him, breathing a quiet sigh of relief when they relaxed.

"When do we need to be where we're supposed to be?" Shou Enomoto, leader of the Akina Street Kings, asked from just behind the blonde.

"We plan on having the rehearsal dinner before coming out so I'd think eight o'clock at the earliest," Gavin replied after turning to face his team leader, "Nine at the latest for sure though cause we'll be in the mountains before nine thirty."

The next morning Gavin and Tatsuo reported to the Sasaki household on Sakura Sasaki's orders to help set everything up. Mikio came to help as well because Izumi was off talking to a beautician about hairstyles for the wedding with Reiko and Nika.

"Well that about covers set up, just flowers and such for the aisle that we'll put out before the ceremony tomorrow," Sakura, Tatsuo and Reiko's mother, said as the three men stared out at the arbor and chairs set up near a tree in her backyard.

"Mom, why is it you didn't want Nika to see any of this?" Tatsuo asked as he stepped next to the black haired woman, "And just how do you plan on keeping her from it tonight?"

"I want her to be surprised by the beauty of it, and the plan is to have the rehearsal inside the house," his mother replied with the same smile that Tatsuo would get when he was about to cause trouble.

"Now Sasaki-san, we have to let her see it before the wedding, otherwise we won't know if we got it her way or not," Gavin said from behind his mother in-law.

"And just how many times do I have to tell you Gavin-kun that you can call me Sakura or Mom?"

"Sorry, just takes a little getting used to Sakura-san," the buzz cut blonde replied with a slight nod of his head, "Dinner is at mine and Reiko's house tonight, just parents and the wedding party, around five tonight."

"I'll do my best not to be late, your cooking is too good to miss," Sakura replied with a chuckle, "Oh, Taniguchi-kun, I wondered if you would be able to get your brother here in time for him to do his job as an usher tomorrow. If not we can go after him for you."

"Satoshi was invited to the bachelor party, he'll be bringing Kit down tonight since Mom and Dad won't be able to make it," Mikio replied with a smile, "Thank you for offering though Sasaki-san."

"I know I'm not supposed to ask, but what is it you boys have in mind for tonight?" the black haired woman asked with a concerned tone after Tatsuo went back in the house.

"I don't honestly know Sakura-san, it'll be up to the guys we're meeting at Mt. Akagi later on in the night," Gavin answered honestly.

Later that night after the short rehearsal was held to make sure everyone understood their part, the parents of the groom and the father of the bride as well as the three groomsmen and bridesmaids gathered around Gavin's dinner table. They chatted about small things like the honeymoon and what flowers were in the bride's bouquet while they waited for dinner to be served.

"Dinner is about to go on the table, sorry to keep you waiting," Reiko said from the kitchen where her husband was putting the finishing touches on the food.

"No rush young lady, we're having a grand time over here," Toshiyuki, the well built gray haired gentleman who was Nika's father, said with a laugh from his place across from Nika.

"Okay, we have lobster Colorado, which is basically tenderloin steak wrapped in bacon and topped with lobster bits, and for the sides we have garlic mashed potatoes and green beans," Reiko giggled as she started placing the plates she was carrying on the table, "Gavin has been wanting to try this out so please criticize as you would normally."

"Hey Gavin, why are we the guinea pigs for your cooking?" Mikio asked with a chuckle as the buzz cut blonde appeared carrying several more plates.

"Because you guys I can trust to tell the truth," Gavin replied with a chuckle of his own.

Once everyone was settled in and they had all given their honest and heartfelt praises of the food the conversation died off for a few minutes while everyone ate quietly.

"So, do any of you have any offers for next season?" Toshiyuki asked trying to spark a conversation.

"I have an offer to take over Takeshi Kanzaki's seat next season and to join him at the twenty-four hours of Le Mans next year with Reiko on that team as well," Gavin replied before taking another bite.

"And I have a separate offer for a GT300 seat with a team based near Okayama," Reiko added with a look that basically told everyone that that particular offer stood no chance of being taken.

"I've already signed on for a GT300 seat for next season thanks to those two races I drove this season, and Keisuke-san's recommendation," Mikio said with a nervous chuckle as his teammates went wide eyed at his statement.

"Tatsuo and I have the chance to take two cars from the same team in GT500, I have another offer for a GT300 seat as well, Tatsuo has one for a GT500 seat," Nika answered for both of them, "Neither of us is completely sure that we'll continue to race professionally right now though."

"Why? you're pretty well the champions of this season already, you've both got talent enough to keep you there for at least two more years," Raiden, Tatsuo and Reiko's older brother, asked from his place next to his own wife.

"I've found myself at a point where I'd rather teach it than drive in it, it's just too much attention from the press and the fans are getting worse the more we win," Tatsuo replied seriously, "I can't imagine what it will be like if we actually pull this championship off."

"For me it's just not as much fun as when we started," Nika said as she tried to piece together her thoughts, "Like one of those things that you try because you think it's fun, but the fun wears off in a real hurry."

"Either way, we all have the standing offer to return to the school as teachers of whatever subject we choose," Gavin said trying to bring a little light to the dim mood.

The conversation was lighter from there on, including a few questions about the huge table that Gavin had moved into the house. Around six Tatsuo and Reiko's parents left with Nika's father, her step-mother having not shown up at all to everyone but Nika's surprise, shortly after which the bridal party left for Nika and Tatsuo's house a few doors down.

"So, what are we doing tonight fellas?" Tatsuo's older brother asked as the men settled down in the main living space.

"Not much to do but wait, we're not leaving here before nine anyway," Gavin answered as he turned the stereo on to a good station.

"Well I have a call to make then, so if you'll excuse me," Raiden said going down the hall and stepping into the smaller of the two bedrooms.

"Well at least you two aren't trying to get me hammered or something. If it weren't for you two Aniki would have had me halfway there already," Tatsuo laughed once his brother had closed the door as he leaned back into the couch and closed his eyes.

"We all know how you feel about that kind of thing so we didn't want to try; what Makato and the others will try later, we don't actually know," Gavin said with a chuckle as his brother in-law's eyes shot open.

Tatsuo's brother came out of the bedroom with the slightest smirk on his lips as he made his way to the stereo and turned the volume up a little bit more. The four men sat talking for a while and Tatsuo even managed to talk Raiden into picking up a controller and playing a few video games to kill time. A knock at the door disturbed the gaming for a short time while Tatsuo went to answer the door where a police officer was waiting on the other side.

"What can I do for you officer?" Tatsuo asked seriously as the young woman stared at him rather coldly.

"We've had a few complaints from the neighbors about the noise, just came out to let you know and have you turn it down Sir," the woman answered coolly before her appearance turned curious, "I recognize you from somewhere, don't I?"

"Can't say as I'd know ma'am, unless you caught sight of me on TV after a race," the black haired man replied sounding a little proud as the officer wrote something down.

"You're Tatsuo Sasaki, GT300 driver for the Takahashi Racing Team right?" the officer asked receiving only a short nod in response, "I caught the podium ceremony from Motegi a few days ago before I went on duty."

"Well you have a nice night then, we'll turn down the music."

"Unfortunately, I do have one request, I'd like to meet your brother in-law, if he's here, before I go," the woman replied sounding a little shy.

Tatsuo nodded with a small chuckle and led the young lady into the house to meet at least two of his teammates. Gavin noticed several things that were out of place on the woman's uniform but said nothing when he also noticed that Raiden was getting ready to turn up the radio.

"Okay, I think I've seen enough," the officer said just before Tatsuo's brother turned the music back up, "But you haven't."

Tatsuo and Mikio were both taken aback as the young woman ripped her shirt open and started dancing to the music. Gavin was doing his best not to laugh at his teammates for a short moment before he realized what Tatsuo might think.

"You know he's going to kill you when she lets him up right?" the buzz cut blonde asked seriously as he watched Tatsuo's face more than the girl.

"Yeah maybe, but it's completely worth it to see that face," the older man replied laughing as his brother's face turned twenty shades of red in anger and embarrassment, "And don't worry Gavin-kun I'll tell him you had nothing to do with it."

"Good, but what the hell were you thinking? You know he hates the idea of this kind of thing."

"Well he certainly hates it more now, but at least it wasn't you who got the stripper, my sister would have killed me for that no doubt in my mind."

"You never got your chance, you weren't invited to our wedding and we didn't have any parties," Gavin chuckled before moving away from the older man.

When they arrived at Mt. Akagi later that night Tatsuo was still pissed off at his brother for getting him a stripper. Shou Enomoto of the Street Kings and Makato Fujimoto of the Night Wolves had pretty much gone way overboard for this party, there was a banner tied between their cars that read 'congratulations Tatsuo', a table full of all different kinds of foods and three different cakes to chose from for desert. When Raiden pushed his little brother out of the car everyone there let go of a handful of confetti.

"Geez, now I'm gonna find that stuff everywhere," Tatsuo chuckled as he shook some of the small paper bits out of his hair.

"Why couldn't you do this for my bachelor party?" Mikio asked from inside his phoenix red Lan-Evo VI.

"Cause we were on kinda short notice about yours, we barely got the cake in time," Shou admitted with a laugh.

Mikio simply shrugged and went to park his car after everyone else was out. Raiden and Makato hit it off pretty quickly and were off talking about business within ten minutes. Kitamura Taniguchi and Satoshi arrived a short time after the party started and added their gifts to a small table with a few others on it before joining the rest of the party.

"Tatsuo-san, I'm going to be leaving here in about ten minutes, work called and said I need to take the early shift tomorrow," Satoshi said once he'd found the men he'd been looking for.

"We'll handle Kit from here then, and work comes before play so you go ahead and take care of you Satoshi-kun," Tatsuo replied with a smile shaking the man's hand.

Satoshi returned the handshake before he made his way back to his car and left. Gavin found Kit and told him exactly what to do when people started clearing out in a hurry, the young man quickly agreeing to stay close to Makato's white S15 until the older man could give him a lift back to Gavin's.

The next morning Mikio, Gavin, Tatsuo and Raiden all four left early to finish setting up anything heavy for the wedding and moving furniture for the reception. Reiko, Nika, Izumi and Raiden's wife left around the same time to get their hair and nails done leaving everyone else at Gavin and Reiko's. Slowly but surely everyone eventually left the residence until Kitamura and Emiko were the only two left, the blonde having volunteered to lock the house up and no one having a seat for the teenager.

"Emiko-san, you and I could cause a little laugh at the wedding today," Kitamura said as they walked out to the car together.

"And just how is that Kit-kun? Planning on getting a kiss in a big crowd?" the blonde replied playfully as she opened the car's door.

"Actually I was thinking you let me drive," the black haired young man said with a stoic face, "At least a short distance, from the end of the driveway down to the garage, then I'd come around and help you out of the passenger seat, just to see how many notice."

"As much as I'd like to see the look on at least Nika's face, I don't want to find out what Mikio or your parents would say if they found out I let you drive," Emiko replied sweetly, "We can still make it look like we're there together though," she added gaining a mischievous grin of her own.

The two drove out to the Sasaki house where Nika and Tatsuo's wedding would take place discussing their little plan. Once everyone was at the house enjoying the pre-wedding 'party' or in the bride and groom's case getting ready, Raiden noticed someone walking around with a camera that wasn't the hired photographer.

"Excuse me, do you have an invitation Sir?" the oldest Sasaki sibling asked after stepping in front of the man.

"I'm from a magazine, I was allowed by the bride and groom to cover the event on behalf of all the journalists who wanted to," the man replied calmly.

"That wasn't the question I asked Sir, and unless you can hand me an invitation right now, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Raiden responded calmly as he stepped closer to the man who quickly reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out the invite and his driver's license to prove it was his, "Alright, but please don't cause any trouble, I'd hate to have someone mess up my brother's wedding."

"I have no intention of trying Sir, but where might I find Nika-chan and Tatsuo-kun?"

"Upstairs first door on your left is Tatsuo, last door on the right is Nika-chan's room," Raiden offered politely pointing towards the stairs.

Fumihiro and Ryosuke witnessed the whole thing and Fumihiro even jokingly offered the younger man a job as a bodyguard for the team. Tatsuo was getting asked a few questions while he dressed out of sight of the reporter while Gavin went to check on the girls' progress since he was already dressed and not being held under the sequester rule.

"Reiko, progress report if you please," the blonde asked through the door.

Reiko cracked the door and told him everything he wanted to know before spotting the reporter coming down the hallway and slamming the solid wood door on her husband's nose. When the reporter reached for the handle on the door Gavin stopped him even though he was still dazed by the hit to the nose.

"I'm allowed to ask my questions Reynolds-san," the reporter said trying to pull his arm away from the blonde.

"No, you're allowed to ask them from out here when Nika says it's okay," the buzz cut blonde replied with a small smirk, "In short, you're not allowed to see the dress before any of the rest of us."

"I was hoping no one would remember that part of the deal," the man laughed as Gavin let him go, "I guess it would be inappropriate to just waltz in if Nika-chan wasn't decent."

"Reason two I stopped you, so ask your questions from out here, she can hear you fine."

About twenty minutes later Tatsuo was called out of sequester to the backyard near 'his tree' as his mother liked to call it since that was where he'd go to read. Dressed in full tuxedos with blue vests and ties the black haired man led Gavin, Mikio and his older brother out to the arbor that was covered in white lilies where the preacher was waiting and even though he was the picture of calm Gavin could tell his brother in-law was a little nervous.

"Hey Tatsuo, breathe man. Ceremony hasn't even started yet and you're white as a ghost," the blonde said as the crowd started to settle into their seats. Tatsuo simply nodded.

The bridal party came out to a beautiful string symphony that Tatsuo recorded especially for the event, Reiko leading the way in a pale blue single strap dress, with a darker blue flower type bow in the back as Nika's Maid of Honor. Izumi and Raiden's wife followed, neither wearing a bow on their dresses.

The small crowd stood as the bridal march began and the back door of the house revealed Nika in a mermaid cut dress with lace quarter sleeves with rose patterns in the lace and an embroidered diamond shaped pattern in the lower bodice. Toshiyuki, dressed to match the men, took his daughter's arm and walked her down the aisle a step at a time until they reached the arbor. The older man choked up a little as he gave his little girl away but there was no hint of sadness in his voice as he did.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to join the two of the best drivers in GT300 this season together in holy matrimony," The preacher said drawing a laugh from the whole crowd and lifting some of Tatsuo and Nika's nervousness at the same time, "Nika and Tatsuo have written their own vows but before we get to that I'd like to congratulate them both personally since I've not had the chance yet," he added taking Tatsuo's hand and hugging the young man before kissing Nika on the cheek, "As you can see I've known Tatsuo-kun for quite a while," he laughed before starting the ceremony properly and nodding to Tatsuo to read his vows.

"Nika, when we met, you were the furthest thing from what I thought was my dream girl. But over the last three years I've gotten to know you and grown to love you, my ideas of my dream seemed to fit you more and more, so much so that I can't remember who my dream girl was before you," Tatsuo said with a smile on his face, "You've made me happier than I think I've ever been and I strive to make you just as happy until the end of time."

Gavin had to reach past Tatsuo and give the preacher a little tap on the shoulder to get him to give the nod for Nika to read her vows since the old man seemed a little teary eyed himself.

"Tatsuo, after two years with you I can't honestly think of what my life would be like without you in it to help me through the tough times and walk with me through the easy ones. I hope that in the future I can make you as happy as you make me every day," Nika said with a smile on her face and a couple tears in her eyes.

"Tatsuo Sasaki, do you take Nika Mahara to be your lawfully wedded wife in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, until death do you part?"

"I do," Tatsuo replied, his smile widening as he slipped a white gold ring with diamonds and sapphires all around it onto Nika's finger.

"Nika Mahara, do you take Tatsuo Sasaki to be your lawfully wedded husband in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, until death do you part?"

"I do," Nika replied as she slipped the simple white gold band on Tatsuo's finger.

"I now pronounce you man and wife, you may now kiss the bride," the preacher said with a wide smile as the couple kissed and the small crowd of family and friends erupted into thunderous applause, "I'm happy to present Mister and Misses Tatsuo Sasaki," he finished once the explosion calmed to a dull roar.

Nika and Tatsuo went back down the aisle, the wedding party following two at a time until Gavin and Reiko came dancing down the aisle in perfect disco style causing a whole new fit of laughter to fill the open air. After that everyone from the crowd gathered again in the Sasaki house's own main living space. The furniture had been moved from the massive space and a small string orchestra was set up in one of the corners playing a soft tune.

Outside with the photographer Nika, Reiko, Izumi and Raiden's wife were laughing at their husbands who couldn't seem to take a serious picture to save their lives. When the photographer had enough of the men's fooling around he called in the wives for the wedding party pictures, before telling Mikio and Izumi to step out for the first full family portrait with everyone's parents in the picture as well. Then it was narrowed to Nika and Tatsuo for a while so the groomsmen could go decorate the car for the drive off before the couple's announcement at the reception and the journalist could get his pictures too.

The reception had been underway for about half an hour when the journalist and the photographer had gotten the pictures they wanted and sent the newlyweds in for their reception. The preacher did the honor of announcing the couple again and letting the party get under way with the father and daughter dance as well as the mother and son dance before everyone else joined in. Kitamura and Emiko were enjoying their little charade of being a couple as they drew stares from the people who knew them both as they danced through the 'couples only' dance.

When things finally settled down just a little Gavin made his way to the middle of the room and tapped his glass a few times with his own wedding band to get everyone's attention.

"I guess now is as good a time as any for this so I want to go ahead with it," Gavin paused to be sure he had everyone's attention, "Tatsuo and I have known each other for about seven years now, we've been through a lot of races, a couple good fights and a whole lot of fun together. When I first met him he was a bit cold, saw logic in everything but why his dear twin sister had the biggest crush on me."

"And I still don't!" Tatsuo interrupted causing a round of laughter from the crowd.

"Anyway, it wasn't until after he'd met Nika that he started to open up for real and I don't think I've ever seen him happier than he is right now and I like this side of him a lot better, to the bride and groom," the buzz cut blonde finished raising his glass and got a chorus of 'to the bride and groom' from the crowd.

The reception dinner was kept at a dull roar while several of Tatsuo's friends stood up and told stories about the young man, one accounting at least one of the fights Gavin had mentioned. Only two of Nika's friends stood to tell any kind of story about her but she was happy to know that at least Emiko could make punching a guy sound like a good thing. The journalist and photographer were just going around and taking random pictures, including one of Emiko leaning on Kit with his arm around her in the photographer's case, until the wedding cake was brought in.

After being married for two hours, Nika and Tatsuo made their way to a 1972 Jaguar XKE in a shower of rice and cheers from their family and friends. Once the pair had driven off, the 'just married' sign attached between the back bumper's two teeth, everyone started to notice that it was the only adornment to the car.

"Why didn't you decorate the car?" Sakura asked, her question directed at Gavin mainly.

"Ma'am that is a classic car, it didn't need decorating," the blonde replied before going back into the house to start helping with the clean up.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

While Nika and Tatsuo were enjoying the first day of their honeymoon in Okinawa, Ryosuke and Fumihiro were in a meeting with a few of the school's future sponsors and four of the newest teachers for when it actually opened to the public.

"Well now that we've covered business I'll formally introduce you to our four newest teachers, first on my left is last season's F1 champion and his main engineer, and on my right is the GP2 champion from two years ago and his primary mechanic," Fumihiro said gesturing to each person at the table, "Obviously they'll be teaching for their class of racing and mechanics."

"So what about the cars? Do you have all the ones you'll need for them to teach in?" the representative for one of the sponsors asked seriously.

"We currently have a two seat Formula 1 car based on next season's specifications, and a GP2 car, that given the mechanic, is probably worthy of the championship," Ryosuke answered calmly, his eyes still on the papers in front of him, "We also have two standard F1 cars and a second GP2 car being built for us. We should have them before the end of this month."

"And just who is paying for all of those cars?" another of the representatives asked sarcastically.

"The current sponsor of my team," the doctor replied still not taking his eyes off the papers.

"Do they know that?" the representative asked not sounding convinced.

"It was actually their idea Sir," Fumihiro jumped in sounding a little more than annoyed, "They've provided all the other series based cars for the school so our liaison convinced them to simply finish the set."

A quiet knock at the door stopped the tense situation from getting any worse as a slender woman stepped through and looked towards Ryosuke.

"Takahashi-san, there is a doctor out here from your clinic looking for you Sir, she said it was urgent," the young woman said quietly before stepping back out of the room.

"Fumihiro, show these gentleman around and then out if you please," Ryosuke said as he stood up and left the conference room.

As he walked back to the lobby he turned his cell phone back on and played the two messages he'd received from the clinic that he ran when he wasn't trackside with the team. When he reached the lobby he saw one of his clinic's best doctors, a black haired woman nearly as tall as himself, waiting for him in one of the chairs.

"Dr. Nakahara, what brings you here?" the doctor asked getting his colleague's attention.

"A patient was admitted yesterday and I'm having trouble pinning down the diagnosis Sir," the woman answered seriously, "I brought a digital copy of his file and all the test results we've gotten back since we started. I thought maybe a fresh set of eyes could see what I'm missing."

"Let's go to my manager's office, I'm sure he won't mind me borrowing his computer for this," Ryosuke said waving for her to follow.

As the pair walked they discussed the patient's symptoms as well as his reactions to the different medications he was given. Dr. Nakahara's eyes were looking every direction but forward as they walked the halls so she didn't notice when her boss stopped at Fumihiro's office door and she ran into him.

"I am so sorry Dr. Takahashi; I wasn't looking where I was going, I'm a little amazed by how big this place is," the black haired woman said nervously as she stepped past him and into the office.

"It's fine, it amazes me too occasionally," Ryosuke said with a small smile.

For the next twenty minutes the two doctors tried to figure out Dr. Nakahara's patient's illness. When they figured out what the problem was the lady doctor called the clinic and told the duty nurse what to do for the patient while Ryosuke led her out of the office and back towards the lobby.

"Dr. Takahashi, I hope it's not too forward of me to ask for a tour of your school," the black haired woman asked sounding a little shy for some reason.

"Shouldn't you be getting back to the clinic?" Ryosuke asked as he continued back towards the lobby.

"I came here after I got off this morning, I usually work the late shift as you know," Dr. Nakahara replied with the slightest giggle.

Ryosuke simply nodded and gestured back towards the classrooms and began to explain why the school was laid out like a giant horseshoe inside. By the time the pair had completed the indoor part of the tour Dr. Nakahara was doing most of the talking. Ryosuke listened and commented on a few things but let her continue for the most part as they re-entered the lobby.

"Can I ask you something doctor?" the brown haired man asked just as he placed his hand on the door, "Are you nervous about something?" he asked without waiting.

"I came here for help on a diagnosis and now I'm getting the guided tour of the place from my boss," the lady replied sounding much shyer than before.

"What's there to be nervous about in that?" Ryosuke replied with a small chuckle, "I'm your boss and you are one of my best doctors, at the clinic, but here I'm just a team owner with a bunch of cars and you asked for the tour."

"Well since you put it that way, shall we continue Sir?"

"Certainly doctor."

Ryosuke held the door open for her and told her about both tracks as he led her across the parking lot to the school's main garage.

"I guess not all your cars come finished then," Dr. Nakahara said with a chuckle as she stared at an Arctic white 1972 Nissan Fairlady Z that had no interior or glass in it.

"That is actually a project car my drivers are putting together," Ryosuke said with a slight chuckle as he pulled the cover back over the car, "The owner is currently on his honeymoon so it's unlikely the rest of the team will do anything with it before he comes back."

"Well they picked a fairly easy car to restore considering its popularity and production run, but I'll just keep my old AE86 Trueno," the lady said with a small smile, "But I guess if he likes Nissans it's his choice," she added with a shrug as Ryosuke started leading her towards the storage area for the other cars.

"Actually it's his wife's dream car," the brown haired doctor said with a chuckle as his colleague's eyes went wide.

"That's so romantic! He's restoring her favorite car for her to drive as a present," the black haired woman said in a dreamy tone.

Ryosuke could swear he saw little hearts in her eyes which made him chuckle again as he opened the door to the storage bays.

"Doctor, perhaps you'd like a ride around the course in one of our cars," he said bringing the lady doctor back to earth.

"If we're just two people here, you can call me Yuki," the black haired woman said staring at the different cars in the huge garage with a faint blush still on her cheeks.

"Alright then, Yuki-chan," the brown haired man said noticing the lady's blush deepen, "Now about that ride?"

"Which car are you offering? GT300 or GT500?"

"American Toyota, left hand drive is quite an interesting feeling when you're used to having the steering on the opposite side."

Ten minutes later Ryosuke was flying around the school's throttle course with Yuki in the passenger seat of the black Toyota Supra that David Crandon had given the school while Fumihiro and the four new teachers watched from just outside pit lane.

A few days later Takumi and Natsuki were sitting at the doctor's office talking to another couple while waiting for the nurse to call them back for her six month ultrasound.

"Mister and Misses Fujiwara?" the nurse called looking around the small waiting room, "Follow me please," she added once they were with her.

"The doctor should be in momentarily," she said pointing at the room the couple was to go to.

"Any hopes at all?" Natsuki asked as Takumi helped her onto the exam table.

"Strong and healthy is about all right now," her husband answered truthfully.

"You really don't care about the baby's gender?" the brown haired woman asked settling into a comfortable place on the table.

"Nope, unlike Keisuke, I don't care one way or the other as long as they're as strong as me and as beautiful as you," Takumi replied as he took his seat next to his wife.

"Yeah, Keisuke mentioned something about wanting at least one boy," Natsuki giggled as her doctor came into the room.

"And how are you today Natsuki-chan?" the doctor asked sitting down on her other side.

"I'm better than I was last time, more excited than nervous," Natsuki answered with a smile.

"Well if your husband will help you get ready I'll get myself all washed up and get the ultrasound warmed up."

Takumi did as he was asked while the doctor washed her hands and warmed up the gel that would go on Natsuki's belly. After about five minutes of checking the baby's general health and positioning the doctor moved the probe and looked at the baby's gender.

"So you're sure you want to know the gender?" the doctor asked freezing the image so she could let the probe go.

"Yes, we've still got plenty to do in the nursery but we wanted to wait so we'd know how to paint and such," Natsuki answered since Takumi seemed lost in the ultrasound image.

"Well in about three months, you'll have a beautiful, healthy, baby girl to take home," the doctor said with a wide smile, "Now Takumi-kun you help her get cleaned up and I'll go print off a couple of the clearer images for you."

"I guess we should go find some paint colors when we leave here," Natsuki said as she cleaned her belly gently.

"Anything but pink and I'm okay," Takumi said still grinning at the thought of having a daughter.

"I know that Takumi. After we find the colors we can go tell Itsuki and Iketani that it's a girl, and after them your Dad, and in two weeks the rest of the team so Nika-chan and Tatsuo-kun can be there."

"You know what's going to happen at the gas station when we tell them right?"

"Itsuki begs to be the godfather while giving you a bone crushing hug?" the brown haired woman asked seriously.

"More likely he and Iketani start rattling off name suggestions from lists as long as they are tall," Takumi replied with a chuckle.

"At least it will be a short list for Itsuki if that's really the case," Natsuki laughed as she pulled her shirt back down.

When they left the doctor's office they went by the hardware store and picked out a few different shades of greens and yellows as well as one pink chip to put with the ultrasound pictures when they showed them to everyone. Takumi favored a granny smith apple shade of green while Natsuki liked yellow as a cheery color. When they arrived at the gas station that Itsuki and Iketani now ran on their own, Takumi parked the Outback close to the building to stay out of the way of the pumps.

"What brings you two here today?" Iketani asked hugging Natsuki once they were inside.

"We found out the gender today," Natsuki said with a beaming smile.

Iketani immediately called Itsuki in, luckily Kenji was close behind the shorter man; his car was sitting at the pump. Takumi handed over the ultrasound images with the pink paint chip between the two pictures. When the chip slipped out Itsuki hugged Natsuki gently before moving on to Takumi.

"You've got to name me godfather, I've been with you through everything man!" the shorter black haired man said with a half begging tone as he took a half step back.

"We're keeping you in mind Itsuki, I promise, but before any of you start trying to suggest names we already have one picked out," Takumi said with a smirk as Iketani's smile faltered just a little.

"And just what is this wonderful name you've come up with?" Kenji asked straight at Natsuki with a somewhat joking tone.

"Actually Takumi came up with it, it's been a front runner for a girl since we found out I was pregnant," Natsuki answered honestly with a giggle seeing all three of the men's jaws nearly hit the floor.

"That didn't actually answer their question Natsuki," Takumi laughed as he pushed Kenji's jaw shut since he was the closest, "Her name will be Takara."

"Takara Fujiwara, I like that," Itsuki said as he composed himself, "Where did you ever come up with that Takumi?"

"I don't know really, just came out when Natsuki asked what we could name a girl," Takumi shrugged.

The couple spent a few more minutes talking with their friends before heading off to the tofu shop that Bunta still ran despite his not needing to anymore. Bunta was standing just outside the door chewing on a piece of licorice and staring at his blue Subaru Impreza sitting in the small driveway next to the shop.

"When did you start liking licorice Dad?" Takumi asked as he got out of Natsuki's own Subaru.

"I did make a promise to quit smoking if you two had me a grandkid didn't I?" Bunta replied with a gruff chuckle as he walked around the front of the car to help Natsuki, "Licorice helps keeps me away from cigarettes, been off them since you told me, you'd know that if you came by more often."

"Sorry Bunta-san, this time it was work keeping both of us away," Natsuki said as the older man hugged her gently.

"So you've come by to tell me boy or girl right?" Bunta asked leading them both into the storefront and then back into the house.

"Yeah and the name too," Takumi said chuckling as his usually stoic father smiled for a split second.

"Alright then, hand over those ultrasound pictures you've got in your pocket," the older man said with a chuckle as he helped Natsuki into one of the few chairs in the place.

As he watched his father looking at the pictures Takumi could swear he'd seen a happy tear leave his father's eye when the pink paint chip fell to the floor when he switched pictures, though the old man would never admit to it. Bunta sent them on their way after a quiet dinner in the kitchen so Natsuki could stay in her chair.

Meanwhile Keisuke and Kyoko were just about to head out for dinner themselves when Keisuke's phone rang. The spiky blonde answered and listened for a couple seconds before giving a short yes to whoever was on the other end of the call.

"My wife and I were just walking out the door, you want to buy us dinner and we'll talk?" Keisuke asked with a small smirk on his lips, "Great, Family's Diner meet us there."

"Who was that?" Kyoko asked as they walked out to Keisuke's competition yellow FD.

"Someone with an offer to be a team manager," her husband answered holding her door for her with a slight bow, "They want to go over the major details in person for some reason."

They spent most of the ride in silence. Once they were seated at their table Kyoko sat next to her husband instead of across from him.

"So what do you think you'll say when they ask officially?" the dirty blonde asked leaning against her husband as he put an arm around her.

"Well if they've done their research they'll know I can't say yes for another two years, but I still want to hear them out," Keisuke replied seriously, "I've enjoyed just being able to go when I want, and not being exhausted when I get home at night has been really nice."

"It really has been," Kyoko said giving his thigh a gentle squeeze as she leaned up and kissed him.

The couple broke their short kiss when someone cleared their throat and startled them both.

"I hope I'm not interrupting something," a black haired man in a fancy suit said with a half smirk causing Kyoko to blush slightly.

"Who are you?" Keisuke asked with a trace of anger in his tone.

"I'm the one who called you earlier, I'm looking for a new manager for my GT500 team, and I believe dinner is on me as well," The man replied sitting down in the other half of the booth.

"So why the face to face meeting?" Kyoko asked politely.

"I wanted to meet you before I made an official offer is all," the man replied just as politely.

"Well you've met me, what's your offer?" Keisuke said with a slight smirk and a shake in his tone as Kyoko ran her hand up and down his thigh again.

"We both know that the Takahashi Racing Team won't be running again next year, all of your drivers have offers for their next seats already, so I want you to come work for me. Your pit crew has some of the fastest records in history, mine need motivating."

"Well I'm not in charge of my pit crew, my brother is."

"You can be more open than that, I've seen you working with them Takahashi-kun, besides from what I've dug up this team of yours is just a stunt to advertise his school, which is why your biggest sponsor doesn't have a logo on the car at all."

"You have an offer lay it out and leave Aniki out of it, our sponsors don't need the advertising, they said that themselves," Keisuke replied in a cold tone, "And their logo is on the car, over the rear wheels on both sides."

"I'm offering two years at twice your current pay," the man said seriously, "You've gotten no other offers, I'm just trying to give you a way out of early retirement."

"There's something else you want to say get it out now, cause if I say no you'll never see me again," the spiky blonde haired man said, his tone remaining cold.

"Your brother hired professional drivers to take the place of your students and I'm honestly offering you a way out before he gets called on it."

Before Kyoko could react Keisuke had the man by the tie and half over the table.

"I told you to leave my brother off the table, and if you'd done your research properly you'd know I can't legally say yes for another two years because I have a contract with my brother's school, not the team," Keisuke spat angrily just before shoving the man away from him and back into his seat, "I'll have you know that my FIA license is still valid meaning I can still drive if I want, but I'm retired because I wanted to help my brother."

"Both mine and my husband's contracts with the school include this season, we're teachers when we're not at a circuit," Kyoko added with a more polite tone, "Now go, before I let Keisuke have at you for insulting his brother the way you did."

The man hurriedly gathered his things and ran out of the diner leaving before the food had even been ordered.

"Guess dinner is on me tonight," Keisuke said with a chuckle as he reached for a menu at another table.

"The guy could have at least had a little more tact don't you think?" Kyoko asked looking at the menu.

"He was an owner that had no idea what he was talking about, probably trying to start up a team and thought going after my brother would make me turn on him or something," the spiky blonde replied with a short chuckle.

The next day when Keisuke went to the school to pick up the sunglasses he'd left the day before he noticed the bright orange S15 being chased by Wataru's Levin around the school's fun layout. Shaking his head at the two cousins he went on about his business. Out on the course Wataru was actually having a little fun as he chased Nobuhiko around the track since this was the first time since the season started that the two had really gotten a chance to face off against each other.

"Good work Nobuhiko, now let's see if you can keep me back here without letting me by this time," the long black haired man said through the radio on his hip with a smirk as he began his real attacks.

"That won't work this time!" Nobuhiko said through his own radio with a smirk of his own as he floored the throttle in the S15 to reopen the gap a little just before he drifted through the first hairpin.

"You've been practicing, but let's see how you do when I've got the advantage," Wataru said closing the gap by flying through the same corner at nearly suicidal speeds.

"Hey this is our last lap, don't get all crazy and kill yourself now," Nobuhiko chuckled as his cousin's Levin nearly met the S15.

Just as the glasses wearing man finished his sentence Wataru whipped to the outside and was headed straight for an early apex on the v-turn. Nobuhiko instinctively hit the brakes when his cousin started moving towards him forcing him into second place for the first time since they started.

"Well done, but your instinct lost you this one," Wataru said as they parked both cars in the pit boxes.

"I don't like the idea of ending up a smear on the pavement is all," his cousin replied with a chuckle as he climbed out of his borrowed car.

"You boys aren't tearing up my wife's car are you?" a voice asked with a chuckle from behind them startling them a little bit.

"We were just seeing if I'd improved at all, my Altezza doesn't really match power to weight with Wataru's Levin so I borrowed this one," Nobuhiko replied calmly once he spotted David standing on the other side of the guardrail.

"Well strictly speaking for what I saw six years ago and just now, you've improved," the blonde answered with a chuckle, "You might want to loosen up on the steering though, you countersteer a little too much for the way I left that car."

"What brings you out here Crandon-san?" Wataru asked taking attention away from his cousin.

"Just dropped in because I was in town, thought about taking one of the cars around if you boys don't mind," David answered with a smirk.

"Which one did you have in mind? Several of them are still empty fluids wise, we keep the Supra and the S15 fueled and ready because they seem to be favorites," Wataru said with a nod towards the bright orange car.

"I think I'll take that Lan-Evo VIII for a spin, been missing the old man a bit lately and his headstone does nothing for me, go gas it up and get it ready for me, please."

"Isn't that the one you told us not to touch?" Nobuhiko asked as his cousin went to do his job as the main mechanic for the school.

"Yeah, but I'm having a bad day and that's the best car for cheering me up," the blonde replied with a chuckle, "Watching that thing dance across the pavement was fun, but feeling it is always so much better."


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

About a week after Nika and Tatsuo's wedding the pictures from the photographers were made available for purchase through the photographer's website. Mikio's mother asked him to show her the pictures of him and Izumi so she could pick the ones she wanted. On his way there the bleach blonde dropped his wife at her parents so she could show her parents the pictures. Mikio greeted his mother Mizuki, a tall brown haired woman, with a hug and a kiss on the cheek as he always did before setting up in their living room.

As he scrolled through the pictures he explained what was happening in them and who the people were either in the picture or in the background of each picture. His mother stood behind him leaning on the back of the couch and just happened to look down when Mikio double clicked to skip a picture.

"What was the picture you just skipped over?" Mizuki asked reaching for the back key.

"Nothing important, just a goofy moment," Mikio replied blocking the key.

"Well I'd like to see it, please show me," his mother said pressing the back key with her son's finger.

The picture of Emiko leaning against Kit with his arm around her popped up on the screen. Mikio watched his mother's face turn red as her jaw dropped open in shock.

"Kitamura Taniguchi, get down here NOW!" she shouted triggering the sound of hurried footsteps coming down the hall.

"What's up Mom?" Kit asked as he rushed into the room just before spotting the picture on the screen, "Mikio, you promised not to show her!"

"Sorry Kit, she saw me skip over it," the bleach blonde replied honestly.

"We agreed you wouldn't have another girlfriend until high school, who is she?" Mizuki asked sounding upset and a little angry at her son.

"She's NOT my girlfriend Mom, she's just a friend of Reiko-san and Nika-san," Kit replied sounding a little nervous but more angry.

"It's true Mom," Mikio started before getting a cold glare from his mother.

"You hush, you knew about this and didn't tell me!" their mother said sounding extremely upset, "I can't believe you two would go behind me like this."

"MOM, STOP IT!" the teenager shouted getting his mother's full shocked attention, "She's ten years older than me! It's not my fault the photographer didn't know that!"

"It was actually a pretty good joke considering what happened between them," Mikio muttered not expecting to be heard.

"And just what did happen?" Mizuki asked using her calmest lawyer tone.

"About six months ago, right around the time he helped us move Nika and Tatsuo into their new house, Emiko gave him a peck on the cheek and he had stardust in his eyes all the way back to mine and Izumi's place," Mikio laughed as his brother's jaw his the floor.

"Hey, that was my first goodnight kiss!" Kit shouted, forgetting the fact his mother was standing right next to him for an instant.

Mizuki's eyes went wide with shock and Mikio just groaned and shook his head as Kit's mistake hit the young man's brain.

"Your first what?" their mother asked sounding way too calm.

"Oh fine, may as well tell it all, six months ago Emiko and I went on one date, we both knew it wouldn't go anywhere but it's still a fun thing to make fun of while I'm down there with Mikio," Kit said staring his mother in the eye, "So when it ended up being me and her left at Gavin and Reiko's house the day of the wedding we decided to go and act like we were a couple through the whole thing," he finished letting out the rest of his breath.

"He was a perfect gentleman the whole time Mom, helped her out of the car even though she was driving, led her to her seat first, sat next to her through the ceremony, took her out last so he could just walk into the house with her, wouldn't let anyone cut in during the dances, got her food and drink during dinner," Mikio said honestly from his place on the couch, "I was proud of him, even though I couldn't stop laughing."

"And it was hilarious to Nika-san and Tatsuo-san, as well as Gavin-san and Reiko-san, they couldn't stop laughing either, though their laughter was a bit quieter than Mikio's," Kit added with a chuckle.

"Kitamura I'm sorry, I jumped to a conclusion without thinking, can you forgive your overly paranoid mother?" Mizuki asked with a slightly saddened tone.

"Of course Mom, best be warned now though, I think the photographer may have caught me and her mid kiss in one of the dance pictures," the black haired teenager replied with a half nervous half joking tone.

Mikio tossed one of the couch pillows to his mother just before the older woman started chasing Kit around the house. Mizuki eventually threw the pillow knocking Kit to the floor from the sudden and somewhat brutal impact to the back of his head. Mikio picked his laptop up and started to describe each picture over his brother's occasional screams of laughter as their mother tried her hardest to tickle him to death.

"He might be a teenager and bigger than her, but no one can defeat our mother," the bleach blonde chuckled after one of the screams.

A little later both families met up for dinner and talked about the pictures from the wedding before Mikio and Izumi headed back into Gunma.

A couple nights later Gavin was cooking dinner when the buzz cut blonde's phone alerted him to a new email. Since it wasn't a typical thing for him to receive he asked Reiko to check it for him.

"It's from your Mom; do you want me to take over the stove while you read it?" his wife asked from the other side of the bar.

"Nah, just read it to me, probably just updates on the family," Gavin replied as he shifted a couple pans around on the stove.

Reiko opened the email and quickly skimmed over it noticing the name 'Jessica Samford' was highlighted and there were flight details close to the name.

"Who's Jessica Samford?" Reiko asked while skimming the rest of the email.

"Doesn't ring any bells, care to give me a little more than a name?" Gavin asked stirring the contents of one of the pans.

"Says here that she's coming to Japan on vacation and wants to see you before she leaves," the black haired woman replied sounding a little confused by the wording, "It also says that you knew her in school when you lived in the States."

Gavin moved away from the stove and read the whole email before it finally dawned on him who his mother had been talking about.

"So who is she?" Reiko asked sounding genuinely curious when she saw her husband's eyes light up.

"You remember the girl I told Kit about? My first kiss I mean."

"The one who slapped you silly?"

"Yeah, that was Jessica, her name was Holden back then so it didn't click. Guess she finally found herself a guy," Gavin replied sounding genuinely happy about it.

"So are we picking her up or calling and meeting her somewhere?" Reiko asked putting the phone back on the counter top.

"You're not jealous or anything?" her husband asked sounding a little surprised by it, "You didn't react so well to Megumi after all."

"Hey Megumi was met under bad circumstances and she didn't act like she was over you," she replied seriously, "I just want to meet the girl who's brave enough to not only slap you silly but then tell her parents to leave you alone about it."

"Well if we go pick her up you'll have to call Mikio and ask for his car because we don't have enough seats."

"Why can't you do it?"

"Because he doesn't trust me with his car and he's not about to hand over Izumi's to either of us," Gavin replied seriously.

"I can understand why. I'll call him, you call her and set it up," Reiko giggled as she took her phone out and dialed Mikio's number.

The next day Gavin and Reiko were waiting for Jessica's flight to get in just off the baggage claim area. Gavin was telling one of the funnier stories about him and Jessica's time as friends when the flight number was announced over the loudspeaker along with which conveyor their luggage could be retrieved from. The blonde handed the small sign with his friend's name written on it to Reiko and went to retrieve the luggage.

"Either you're Gavin's wife Reiko or blondie shrunk since we lost contact," a red haired woman said in English with a chuckle as she walked up to Reiko.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting English, can you say that again?" Reiko asked in reply as her brain switched languages.

"Never mind, I'm Jessica Samford, you must be Reiko, it's nice to meet you," the red haired woman said with a smile as she held her hand out for the shorter woman to shake.

"Ahh, it's nice to meet you too, Gavin's been telling me a few stories about you two," the black haired woman said using her well taught English for the first time in years as she shook the woman's hand, "He went to get your luggage so he'll be back soon."

While they waited Reiko told the red haired woman which stories her husband had been telling and Jessica gladly filled in what details Gavin couldn't remember or had just plain left out.

"Oh great, now it's two against one," Gavin said with a chuckle from behind his friend.

Jessica immediately turned around and was swept into a hug by the buzz cut blonde; both were smiling from ear to ear. As they walked out to the Lan-Evo VI that Mikio had leant them Jessica was telling Reiko about a few of Gavin's more embarrassing moments during their time together.

"Your Mom said you drove a pair of Mazdas, whose car is this?" the redhead asked staring at the phoenix red sports sedan.

"Belongs to one of our teammates; neither of our cars have back seats in them," Gavin answered with a chuckle.

"I lost mine to four point racing harnesses and a roll bar, he never had one," Reiko added with a giggle.

"And this teammate of yours, he lent you this on what conditions?" Jessica asked already knowing at least half the answer.

"That I drive and we get his car back to him in one piece after dinner," Gavin replied with a straight face.

"Blondie, I know you better than that, I can guess the last half is true but the way I hear it, you wouldn't be allowed near your daddy's pickup if he still had it," the redhead laughed as she pushed Gavin by the shoulder playfully.

"Which is why I have the keys," Reiko said with a triumphant tone.

"So where to first Mrs. Reynolds?" Jessica asked as Gavin held the door for her.

"Your hotel to get you checked in and then to dinner at a restaurant close by," Reiko replied slipping into the driver's seat as their guest sat in the back.

After getting the red haired woman checked into her hotel and her luggage dropped off in her room the three of them went to dinner. Gavin told the story about his first fight on Jessica's behalf, the redhead filling in a few details from her perspective on it and how she'd broken the fight up by throwing Gavin into a classroom full of desks.

"First Blondie laughs off three consecutive heavy blows to the head and then he knocks a guy with not only a foot of height, but nearly fifty pounds of weight on him, flat on his back in one blow, so I was obviously scared of what would come next if I let him keep wailing on the guy," the redhead said with a serious tone as Gavin leaned back in his chair a little, "I swear that was the first time in my life I'd ever seen a fifth grader scared of a fourth grader half his size," she added with a little laugh.

"So Jessica grabs me while I'm off balance and throws me through an open classroom door, I go over a couple desks before falling onto the floor hurting worse than when that fella hit me," Gavin chuckled, "She freaks out since she actually didn't mean to do that kind of damage, but I got up and threw one last punch, nothing huge but enough to get the guy's attention, and then basically threatened him with another beating if he messed with her again," he added with a little smirk.

"Did the guy ever try anything again?" Reiko asked curious to hear if her husband ever had to enforce the threat.

"No, he got bullied relentlessly for losing to a fourth grader who then lost to a girl," Jessica answered quietly and Gavin lost his smile.

"He uhh, he moved a short time after, couple months into my first year of middle school we both found out he'd gotten shot in some gang fight trying to prove how tough he was," Gavin added somberly.

They got back onto happier subjects that included Jessica's wedding and two daughters who would be joining her the next morning because of her husband's need to be sure everything was handled on both ends of a trip first. They told a few more stories and relived a few other fights that Gavin had been involved in before taking Jessica back to her hotel for the night.

When the two girls and Jessica's husband arrived at the airport the next day, the redhead had a rental car waiting and met up with Gavin and Reiko at the same restaurant they'd eaten at the night before. The red haired woman even introduced Gavin to her husband as her little brother. The children were overjoyed to finally meet their Uncle Gavin whom they'd heard quite a bit about over the two months before the trip.

Over the next couple of days Gavin and Reiko spent more time out on the town with Jessica and her family than at home.

"So why does she keep calling you 'little brother'?" Reiko asked when they came into their house on Thursday night.

"By the time I hit fifth grade I'd fought on her behalf twice, won both times, and it was actually something that started after the second one, a guy came and asked for my permission to ask her out," Gavin replied with a chuckle, "From then on I was her little brother, or she was my big sister when anyone talked to her or me."

"By the way you tell it, you went to school to fight," the black haired woman said with a giggle.

"Not really, but it did happen a lot considering my school was just outside an Air Force base and had all manner of military and civilian kids going there," the buzz cut blonde replied with a shrug as he flopped onto the couch.

Meanwhile Nika and Tatsuo were sitting in a nice restaurant having a quiet dinner on the last full day of their honeymoon since they'd be back in Gunma by the same time the next day. Tatsuo caught a glimpse of someone standing at the edge of their table out of the corner of his eye.

"We don't need…" the black haired man said before getting a good look at the woman standing there, "I know you, don't I?"

"I would hope you remember me Tatsuo, we did date through the entirety of middle school," the lady laughed as Tatsuo's eyes lit up.

"Taiyumi? Is that really you?" he asked seeming at a loss for further words.

Nika cleared her throat to gain his attention, which was enough to bring him back to the real world.

"Where are my manners? Taiyumi, this is Nika Sasaki, Nika this is my second girlfriend and definitely the longest relationship I've had before you."

"Taiyumi-san, you said you dated all the way through middle school, so you and Tatsuo dated for three years?" Nika asked shaking the woman's hand.

"Just about yes, we were a few weeks short of the three year mark when it ended," Taiyumi replied before grinning sheepishly, "Do you mind if I join you for a little while, while I wait for my date to arrive?"

Tatsuo looked to Nika for a moment to make sure it was okay before he pushed out a chair using his foot.

"So how is everyone back in Gunma?" the lady asked once she was properly seated.

"Well I can't speak for any of our old classmates, but my parents are doing pretty well health and marriage wise, my brother and his wife are probably getting off the plane for their vacation up in the northern end of the country right about now," Tatsuo said with a chuckle, "After them Reiko, my twin sister if you don't remember, got married back in March to her high school tutor and I married Nika here about two weeks ago so we're actually here on our honeymoon," he finished while showing her the wedding band on his finger.

"And what about your careers, did Reiko start selling her art as a professional? And did you ever start teaching like you wanted to?"

"Sort of and no, Nika and I along with Reiko and her husband drive for a Super GT team, Reiko does sell the occasional piece of artwork here and there but she's relying on her paycheck from the team at this point."

"And how did you two meet?"

"We met on the first day of our training for the team, that was a little over three years ago now," Nika answered politely, "What do you do for a living? If you don't mind my asking."

"I'm training to be a doctor, I'm doing my internship this year, next year I'll start my residency here at the hospital in Okinawa," Taiyumi answered with a wide smile, "Looks like both our dreams came true huh Tatsuo?"

"Looks that way," the black haired man said with a downcast smile.

"Tatsuo, what's wrong honey?" Nika asked being the first to actually see the look.

"It's nothing really, just remembering something I said before Taiyumi and I broke up for good," her husband replied making Taiyumi remember as well and lose her smile.

"What happened between you two? It had to have been big to end three years together," Nika asked noticing the now awkward air that was between them.

"It didn't end so well for either of us, he popped the question, I broke his heart and said no, then he broke mine by ending it completely," Taiyumi answered without looking up from the tablecloth.

"You asked her to marry you?" the brown haired woman asked solely directed at her husband as her brain tried to take in this information.

"Last day of eighth grade, waitress dropped her tray when I asked, dropped it again when Taiyumi said no," Tatsuo replied with a small chuckle at the old memory.

"We did try to work it out, but I just couldn't think of being with anyone forever back then," Taiyumi added with a small smile on her lips, "Tatsuo, did you ever go back to that old diner after that?"

"Not until my senior year, and our waitress was still working there, couldn't keep her mouth shut about you and me," Tatsuo said with a laugh, "Then again that woman could talk for an hour straight and never take a breath."

"Why did you go back during your senior year?" Nika asked wanting to hear the story.

"I was on a date, first one since Taiyumi in fact and last one till I met you Nika, the girl and I ended our short lived relationship thanks to that waitress," Tatsuo said with a chuckle.

"Nika-san, you'd have to meet this woman to believe just how much that woman could talk," Tayumi said with a small giggle, "She would give Tatsuo and I free drinks because we were in there every day waiting for our parents to come by and pick us up, but every day she had something new to talk about, kept us from our homework better than a TV set."

"We had an argument between the two of us, she talked to us for three afternoons and neither of us could get a word in edge wise the whole time, it did solve our argument though," Tatsuo added making them all laugh.

"The problem wasn't getting her to start talking, it was getting her to shut up long enough to make a counter point, but that woman could multi-task with the best of them," Taiyumi said with a laugh of her own, "No joke she had four tables, four completely different conversations, and she could keep up with everyone of them and still didn't have to write down a single order on paper to make sure she got it right."

"And she always did too," Tatsuo added with a chuckle.

"That's impressive and a little scary at the same time," Nika said with a small nervous chuckle.

In the short silence that fell over them the awkward feeling between Taiyumi and Tatsuo returned rather quickly.

"So I hope this isn't too personal, but how did you two start dating?" Taiyumi asked sounding a little uncomfortable.

"He got my step-mom to stop trying to set me up with a rich narcissist," Nika said with a chuckle when the lady's eyes went wide, "Then he asked me out on a real date and we've been going ever since."

"What about you Taiyumi, anyone special in your life after me?" Tatsuo asked hoping she had found someone forgetting that she was at the table to wait for a date.

"Just my son right now, not many men want to be a father to a kid who isn't their own unfortunately," the future doctor said with a small giggle when Tatsuo choked on his drink, "He'll be three in January, his father ran off with some ditz the second he found out I was knocked up."

"That really stinks," Nika said placing a hand on Taiyumi's for a moment, "We've been talking a while and I don't mean to sound rude, but has your date come in yet?"

"I almost forgot I was waiting and I do see him by the bar over there so if you will excuse me, congratulations to both of you; Tatsuo it was nice seeing you again, Nika-san it was a pleasure to meet you and I'd like to say you got a great man in him," Taiyumi said bowing slightly before going to join her date.

"Nice to see her again?" Nika asked once the woman was out of hearing range.

"Yes and no, lot of painful memories of those last couple months," Tatsuo replied honestly, "But it brought a few good ones to mind as well."

Tatsuo spent the rest of the evening telling the story of how he met Taiyumi and a couple of the happier stories, including the fact that most of their teachers could tell when they'd had a fight. Nika asked a few questions out of genuine curiosity and never appeared to be jealous of the other woman as she listened to the stories of her husband's relationship with her.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

On the Sunday before the Takahashi Racing Team were to resume their practice sessions for the Autopolis race weekend, Ryosuke was sitting at the desk in his father's old office filling out a couple of patient reports. As he started the last report his secretary came in with the day's mail and laid it on the desk in an open spot, leaving a very fancy envelope on top of the stack.

"Nothing out of the ordinary here except for this fancy looking one from one of the board members," she said pointing at the envelope.

"Would you mind checking that for me? I just got to my last patient report and then I'll be going to check on them," Ryosuke asked not looking up from his work.

The woman took the envelope and opened it using the letter opener on the desk before looking at its contents closely.

"You're not going to like this Dr. Takahashi," she said putting the invitation in front of him, "It's an invite to a board member's party and your presence is adamantly requested."

"Get my brother on the phone please, I have to make a couple of arrangements with him," the brown haired doctor said with an almost resentful sigh.

It wasn't that he was upset about having to attend, but he would probably be the youngest person in the room. This usually led to him getting pinned in a corner by some older doctor and listening to case histories on patients who were dead long before he was alive. The phone rang bringing Ryosuke out of his thoughts of the last board party he went to as he pushed the button to put the call on speaker.

"Aniki? What has you calling me today?" Keisuke's voice came through the small speaker.

"Call the team and give them two more days off, I have a party to attend Tuesday night and I'd like to get things caught up here before it," Ryosuke said while leaning back in his chair.

"We've only got two weeks before Autopolis. Are you sure about this?" the spiky blonde asked sounding a little confused.

"I want to give the drivers a physical before they get in the cars again, I don't think any of them has had one since the season started."

"Understood, two more days it is then."

"This also means I won't be joining you and Kyoko for dinner this evening."

"It's okay Aniki, I'll let her know, now if you'll excuse me I have a whole team to call," Keisuke said with a chuckle just before closing the call on his end.

Shortly after his brother hung up Ryosuke paged his secretary and had her place a few more phone calls before he finished his paperwork and went to check on his patients personally. On his way back to his office he decided to go ahead and deal with the invitation's 'plus one' for the party.

"Dr. Takahashi, what brings you to the ICU today?" a nurse asked when she spotted him looking around.

"I'm looking for Dr. Nakahara, the roster said she was working here this shift, could you page her for me?" the brown haired doctor asked politely as he came to the desk.

The page went throughout the clinic for the doctor to come to the ICU nurse's station. It was only a few minutes before the tall black haired woman came to the counter and asked the nurse why she'd been paged. The nurse simply pointed in Ryosuke's direction while wearing an almost perverted grin on her face.

"Dr. Takahashi, how can I help you Sir?" Yuki asked sounding a little nervous.

"I'd like to see you in my office when you can spare a few minutes, it can wait till you're on break if need be," Ryosuke replied not wanting to stay under the nurses' longing gazes any longer than he had to.

When Yuki came to Ryosuke's office his secretary let him know she was coming in and he stopped working for a few moments as he dug the invite out of the papers that had quickly filled his desk since it was left before standing up to greet her.

"You wanted to see me Sir?" the black haired woman asked while standing in front of his desk.

"Nakahara-chan, I didn't ask you here as a professional, I asked because I'd like you to come to a board member's party with me," Ryosuke replied handing her the invite.

"So you want me to play the role of arm candy? Couldn't you get a nurse for that?" Yuki asked bluntly while staring at the invite.

"I didn't want arm candy, I'm asking you because it might get some of the board members to leave my sanity intact," The brown haired doctor replied with a chuckle while gesturing to one of the chairs, "Plus I feel I owe you an apology after throwing you around in that Toyota a week ago."

"Well I did ask for that, I'm just glad it was a supposedly out of practice retiree rather than one of your team's drivers," Yuki said with a small giggle as she took a seat in the chair, "I may have had a heart attack with one of them."

"We do keep a pretty competent doctor on site should a situation like that occur," Ryosuke said playing along with the joke for a moment before getting serious again, "So, will you be on my arm Tuesday?"

"Yes, but you better believe you still owe me one, I know how these parties thrown by the board can get," Yuki replied with a small smirk until Ryosuke nodded his agreement with the statement.

"I'll make sure you get Tuesday off so you can be ready, should I come get you or meet you there?"

"You have the invite; I won't get through the door without you."

"I'll pick you up around eight then, and Nakahara-chan, thank you in advance for this."

"Didn't I ask you to call me Yuki?" she replied before getting up and leaving without a response.

"That is one fiery woman," Ryosuke muttered before he returned to his work yet again.

That night at Mt. Myogi the members of the old Project GT team showed up at the summit to watch a race as simple bystanders. The crowd didn't notice the three cars moving through the parking area until the 20B engine of Gavin's FD roared out through the murmur of the crowd causing cheers to erupt from the ones who recognized it. Makato made his way through the crowd towards the cars with Takako close behind him.

"What brings you guys out here on a night before practice?" Makato asked sounding a little worried that something might be wrong.

"Boss gave us two more days off, something about a physical before practice and a party," the buzz cut blonde replied with a shrug as Takako took Makato's arm and put it around her.

"Well, what will you be doing to kill the days?" the leader of the Night Wolves asked once Takako had gotten comfortable.

"Don't really know, might just sit at home and do nothing," Tatsuo replied with a chuckle.

"Makato and I are going to a place with hot springs and a nice little dining place in it tomorrow night for a little stress relief," Takako said looking towards her boyfriend as if asking if he was okay with what she'd come up with, "If you want you could join us there," she added when he nodded.

They talked about the arrangements and where they would be going before Reiko finally just agreed for everyone else out of excitement to get in a hot spring pool for the first time since before the season started. Through the next day they all packed overnight bags and met Makato at the onsen he and Takako would be staying at. The married couples got their rooms first before the lady behind the desk politely informed Makato that they only had one room left. Takako simply shrugged and Makato went ahead and booked the room even though it wasn't part of the plan for him and Takako to share a bed.

While the boys went to the dining area and started a conversation about the possibility of life only being one long dream, the girls were settling into the onsen's private hot springs. After a few minutes of quietly settling into the warm water, Izumi quietly tried to drown herself from the initial embarrassment of being naked with the other three women.

"So Takako, think you and Makato are going to be rustling the sheets tonight in that one bed room?" Nika asked point blank.

The shock of Nika's extremely lewd question sent Izumi the rest of the way underwater and caused Takako to turn several shades of red as she sank further into the water trying to hide her embarrassment. Reiko went to Izumi to try and get her breathing properly again before shooting a glare Nika's way which the brown haired woman simply shrugged off.

"So are you?" Nika asked again just to see if she could get the same reaction.

"I don't know, maybe, I wouldn't mind if we took that step, but I really don't know if he's ready for it," Takako answered honestly still blushing, "Can we please talk about something else?"

"Like what?" Reiko asked with a shrug as she settled back into her seat.

"Okay, worst boyfriend you've ever had, I'll start; the one who wrecked my Dad's car. Reiko?" Nika said with a calm tone as she slid a little further into her own seat.

"Wait a minute, explain that!" Izumi said, her eyes bugging out slightly, "How old was this guy and why did he wreck it?"

"We were both sixteen, he never said why he stole it, but the crash was him trying to drift it," the brown haired woman said with a chuckle, "He went to jail with a broken nose thanks to Dad. Reiko, you're still up next."

"Probably the most cliché reason, but he cheated on me with my best friend at the time," Reiko said still sounding a little pissed about that, "She found out she was pregnant a week after I found out he'd been cheating with her."

"Damn, that's either extremely fast acting karma or he was just one unlucky dumbass," Takako said with a giggle, "My worst had to have been the one who couldn't distinguish playful banter from verbal abuse. He was such a dick!"

"Come on Izumi, you're the only one left," Nika said encouragingly.

"I've only had two boyfriends besides Mikio," Izumi answered sinking into the water up to her eyes.

"Honey, no one is saying how many boyfriends they've had, just the worst one," Reiko said comfortingly, "Besides, Mikio probably is your worst considering the jerk he turned into."

Izumi shook her head, keeping just her eyes out of the water for the moment.

"There was someone worse?" Nika asked not totally believing her as the younger woman came up for air.

"He tried to get in my pants, forcefully," Izumi said looking like it hurt just to say it out loud, "He didn't succeed because out of a panic reflex I kicked him where it counts."

Reiko's eyes bugged out along with Nika's while Takako just sat there stunned.

"Y-you really kicked him in the junk?" Nika stammered with a slight hint of laughter in her voice, "That's AWESOME Izumi! I mean not that he tried, but the fact you fought him off, I'd have never thought you had it in you."

"Yeah, all I probably would have done was scream my lungs out and hope his ear drums burst," Reiko added honestly with a giggle of her own, "Though I don't think any of my boyfriends were ever that horny or that stupid."

Izumi smiled a little at the joke before shaking her head to remove the still painful memory from the front of her mind. For a little while the four women sat in silence and simply relaxed in the warm water.

"So Reiko, since you left it open, which of your boyfriends did you give the goods to first?" Takako asked with her head still tilted back against the side of the pool.

The shock nearly sent Reiko underwater this time causing everyone to snicker and giggle quietly for a moment while she tried to regain her place on her seat.

"Well, while she gets herself back under control mine was the idiot who stole Dad's car," Nika said taking the attention away from Reiko as Izumi and Takako stared at the brown haired woman, "What? He was really sweet and kind and all that good stuff before that."

"Okay Izumi, you're next," Takako said trying to delay her own telling for the time.

"My first and only has been Mikio, he'd done a few things before, oh boy did he teach me good," Izumi said with a dreamy tone until she realized where she was and turned beet red.

"Well Gavin was my first," Reiko said finally getting herself settled back into the water properly.

"Wait, you're telling me that you waited until you were with him to hand in your v-card?" Nika asked seriously and confused.

"I didn't say that," the curly black haired woman said with a cheeky grin, "I said he was my first, I don't remember saying anything more."

Izumi, being the excellent judge of character that she was, picked up on a few of the other woman's tells and immediately knew it wasn't a straight forward relationship.

"Oh my god, you got him drunk didn't you?!" the auburn haired woman asked sounding very ashamed of her friend.

"No, he did that himself, I just gave him a ride home and then got a ride of my own," Reiko replied sounding almost completely unashamed of her actions in the past.

"I hear a hitch in that unashamed front of yours Reiko-san, what did you do? Cheat on someone with him or something?" Izumi inquired further when she saw Reiko's smile falter somewhat.

"Izumi what are you talking about? There wasn't a hitch in her tone," Nika said trying to figure out what she meant before looking to Reiko whose poker face had nearly crumbled and made it easier for all to read her near terrified expression.

"YOU DID! Geez you wanted him that badly!?" Takako nearly screamed, her voice echoing off the walls for a moment.

"Hey, he started it and he had the body of a Greek god back then, I was powerless," Reiko finally spilled, her embarrassment showing clearly in her tone and the deep red of her cheeks.

Meanwhile the boys were still in the dining area, their conversation of life only being a dream long forgotten, and they were playing a little poker. Gavin and Mikio were nursing their third beers; Tatsuo hadn't finished his first one yet.

"Hey Makato, you and Takako best keep the noise down tonight, I don't want to have to kick your ass because you woke Reiko up," Gavin said throwing a few chips into the pot.

"I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn two feet away from me with a hammer right now, I doubt anything like that will be happening," Makato said slurring slightly thanks to the seven beers he'd already had.

"Hey, she could start it, they don't allow drinks in the hot springs, she'll be sober when she gets back to the room," Mikio said waggling his eyebrows a little at the older man.

"Hey, I don't have to listen to this and not get anything out of it, put your money on the table," the S15 driver replied pointing a slightly swaying finger at Mikio, "And sit still, all that rocking you're doing is making me queasy."

"Makato-san he's right, if she wants it, she's likely to get it with you plastered out of your mind," Tatsuo said keeping his eyes on the cards in his hand, "Hope you brought some kind of protection just in case."

"I don't need it, she's on the pill," Makato said with a drunkenly triumphant tone.

"I really didn't need to know that dude," Tatsuo looking a little sick at the thought, "Whose bet is it?"

"Yours, how do you not know that and you're the sober one?" Gavin laughed.

"I was only making sure asshole," Tatsuo replied with a slight growl as he threw a short stack of chips into the pot, "Raise 30."

"Someone take that bottle from Makato, he's had enough," Gavin said as the leader of the Night Wolves took another swig of his eighth beer, "I'll call."

"HEY! I can still understand you just fine Blondie," Makato said slurring his words a little more heavily this time.

"That's enough liquid courage bud, go lay down before janitorial has to clean you up," Gavin said calmly while Tatsuo took the bottle, "You're definitely going to regret this in the morning as it is, no need to tell Takako you don't remember any of it."

"I'm not that bad off, what the hell do you guys care anyway?" the black haired man muttered laying his cards on the table.

"You couldn't even stand up straight if you had to right now, much less walk back to your room without help," Tatsuo said with a chuckle, "And we do care."

"About Takako-chan," Gavin added making everyone laugh at Makato's face as his jaw dropped open.

"Well in that case why not just let me keep drinking?" the leader of the Myogi Night Wolves asked sounding a little saddened.

"Because as much as I don't want to be woken up by your funny business, I'd hate it even more if you hurled on Takako because that would turn into my fault for not stopping you," Gavin replied with a serious tone.

Eventually the men ended their little poker game, returning the chips and cards to the waiter, since Makato had started to sober up just a little and Mikio had started to slur his speech. The women had come back well before their men, Nika and Reiko having already fallen asleep when their husbands joined them and Izumi was just coming out of the shower when Mikio joined her in their room. Takako lay awake staring at the ceiling of the room she and Makato would be sharing for the night, silently going over the rather entertaining conversation that ensued after Reiko's confession when Makato made it to their room.

"Hey Takako, enjoy your time in the hot spring?" her boyfriend asked as he stumbled a little but remained standing as his eyes adjusted to the darkness in the room and the spinning in his head.

"Yeah, I think Izumi-san may have wanted to strangle Nika-san a few times though," the black haired woman replied with a small giggle as she watched Makato start groping around for anything to steady himself on.

"Got to talking about something embarrassing eh?" the black haired man asked, his speech slurring a little as he finally found a small table to lean against.

"And you'll never get any of it from me, I'm no gossip. Have you been drinking?"

"Only a bit, I can sort of walk, but I wouldn't want to think about what would happen if I tried it right now," the S15 driver said with a chuckle, "Feel free to take advantage of it by the way."

"I might drop a mint in your mouth while you sleep but that's all you're getting from me tonight, I can smell the beer from here."

Takako laughed a little at Makato's drunken puppy dog eyes right before he swayed slightly and fell half onto the futon mattress with a heavy thud. She shook him gently to make sure he wasn't hurt too badly before stuffing a pillow under his head, laughing quietly when he simply moaned into the pillow.

"Yup, you are not driving tomorrow," the black haired woman said taking his keys off the belt loop they were hooked to and throwing them over next to her purse.

The next day Mikio and Makato were feeling the little drinking session more than Tatsuo and Gavin. Makato felt like his head would explode at the sound of a pin drop and his stomach felt like he'd eaten a boulder. Mikio simply had a headache and a loss of appetite for the onsen's breakfast menu. Gavin and Tatsuo seemed to go completely unaffected, Tatsuo because he didn't drink nearly as much as the other three men.

"Gavin how is it you're not hurting like those two are? You drank just as much as Mikio did last night," Tatsuo asked as the group loaded their cars.

"I've been worse than I was last night, I'll leave it at that," the buzz cut blonde replied before stepping in and firing up his FD's 20B rotary engine.

Makato let out a loud groan while holding his head against the sudden explosion of noise as he suffered through the worst hangover he'd ever had.

Later that night, at almost exactly eight o'clock, Ryosuke arrived at Dr. Yuki Nakahara's home before they would attend one of the board member's parties. When the tall black haired woman opened the door for him after letting him into the building she was wearing a simple black dress with a hint of perfume that Ryosuke's nose couldn't quite identify.

"I guess you don't know the definition of black tie then," Yuki said with a giggle pointing out the fact Ryosuke was wearing a white tailored suit with a blue shirt and no tie at all.

"My tux is a little tight in the chest, it's been a while since I've worn it and this fit," Ryosuke shrugged.

"Well I'm not quite ready yet, come on in, I won't be long," Yuki said gesturing for him to follow her.

While she returned to her bedroom to finish getting ready Ryosuke closed the front door behind him and remained standing close to it.

"So did you have any problems finding this place Takahashi-san?" the black haired woman called from her bedroom sounding genuinely worried.

"Not really, though I will admit to missing the number of the building the first time I passed by, but that was lack of lighting," the brown haired doctor replied calmly, "You really should talk to your super about fixing that."

"I have and so have several others who had guests get lost, he just won't do it for some reason."

Only a moment later the lady doctor came out of her bedroom wearing a small silver necklace with a pendant of the caduceus on it and a pair of diamond earrings. Ryosuke opened the door for her before allowing her to loop her arm in his as he led her to his FC.

"So why a caduceus on the necklace?" the brown haired doctor asked once they were on their way.

"My mother bought it for me just before I started medical school, I only take it off to bathe and sleep," Yuki replied fiddling with the necklace a little as a smile came to her eyes and lips, "What about you and the white suit?"

"This was a personal taste in color, I like white so I have a white suit," Ryosuke said with a shrug.

As they drove Yuki started her nervous ramblings again, telling him about the big graduation party her mother had thrown for her high school graduation and similar stories about her mother. Ryosuke listened to the stories, chuckling when he found something funny, but mostly just let her continue talking since it seemed to make her more comfortable.

"I'm doing it again aren't I?" Yuki asked when they were about halfway through their short journey, "My nervous rambling thing."

"Yes, but I don't mind, there was a young man on a street racing team I used to lead that liked to talk quite a bit himself," Ryosuke said with a smirk, "You are a lot more interesting to listen to though."

"That's sweet of you to say, but I think I'll stop," the doctor said with a smile as she looked at her feet.

"If you don't want to I won't stop you Nakahara-san," the brown haired doctor replied as he pulled away from a stoplight.

"You know I've been meaning to ask why you drive this FC, I mean isn't it kind of hard to find parts for and maintain?"

"It can be difficult to find things like exterior body parts, but most rotary engines are kind of interchangeable as far as at least some of their parts are concerned, so if a dealer sells the FD or even the RX-8 they usually have a few parts on hand for them."

They continued to talk about her Toyota and Project D and the difficulty her garage was having finding a new taillight after someone broke it when they backed into her. When they arrived Ryosuke rooted around in the glove box for a moment, pulling out a card and handing it to her.

"Call that number, tell them I gave you the number and when they ask, tell them what kind of car you have and what you're looking for," Ryosuke said with a small smirk, "Those guys will go as far as the United States to find parts for a car."

"Thank you for this, now the valet wants us to get out," Yuki giggled when Ryosuke did a slight double take not having noticed the young man before.

Once they were through the door both of them made their way to the drink server before joining the rest of the party. For the most part it was a fairly quiet evening; Ryosuke was left alone by many of the board members, but if he did get in too deep out of politeness, Yuki would come in and save him. It went the same in reverse since he'd saved her several times before she had to save him once. They were in a quiet corner continuing their conversation from the ride over when one of the board members came over.

"Takahashi-kun, just how long have you known this young lady?" the older gentleman asked with a light tone, "You two have got this 'swoop in and save each other' routine down very well," he added with a somewhat gravelly laugh.

"We've known each other on a professional level for about five years now," Ryosuke replied calmly while Yuki tried to stifle her own laughter.

"I guess you interviewed her for her internship then," the board member said with a smile, "How did you fare young lady?"

"He tricked me, I was lost looking for his office and he did the interview while he led me to his office without so much as an introduction until we got there," Yuki replied sounding a little sour at the idea.

"But she did very well in that interview," Ryosuke added with a small smile on his lips remembering the look on her face even five years later, "And she all but runs the ICU at the clinic now."

"Well, I just wanted to see if there was more to this than a professional relationship, not that it would hurt you if there was Takahashi-kun, if you'll excuse me," the older gentleman bowed slightly and left them standing there.

"Who was that gentleman?" Yuki asked once he was out of sight.

"I'm not entirely sure, I think he may have been one of the board members while my father ran the clinic," Ryosuke replied honestly sounding just as confused as she did.

They mingled around for almost two hours before leaving the small party with the blessings of the board member who had invited them. Ryosuke refused to say where they were heading when he turned in the opposite direction of Yuki's home, leaving his answer as a simple 'I'm making us even'. When they arrived at a small but very posh restaurant only a few minutes away from the party, Ryosuke helped her out of the car and let her arm hang from his as they walked. When they finally arrived back at Yuki's apartment it was nearly midnight and Ryosuke walked her up to her apartment.

"So are we even?" the brown haired doctor asked as Yuki looked for her keys.

"I think I owe you one actually Takahashi-san, maybe someday you'll take me up on it," the black haired lady said with a nervous giggle as she fiddled with her keys.

"I might just, Yuki-chan," Ryosuke replied with a small smile as the lady doctor blushed.

On an impulse Yuki leaned up and landed a quick peck directly on Ryosuke's lips before she quickly entered her apartment and hid behind the door in embarrassment, her blush clearly widening as she finally let what she'd done sink in. Ryosuke simply shook his head, said his goodnight through the closed door and left quietly, returning to his own home for the remainder of the night.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

After getting their physicals the drivers of the Takahashi Racing Team resumed their regular practice. Izumi sat watching the school's Super GT ready black Mazda RX-7, currently driven by her husband, make its way around the school's private track. The auburn haired woman only took her eyes off the car when the other of the school's Super GT ready cars, a black NSX, came into the pit stall and killed its engine.

"Izumi-chan, would you go in and tell everyone we're almost done with practice?" Takumi asked politely.

Izumi nodded and climbed down from the short observation tower that she, Takumi and Keisuke had been watching the practice from and headed for the main building. When she walked through the school's front door she noticed that Natsuki was sitting at the reception desk staring at the monitors that were hidden by the desk's raised front.

"Natsuki-san, why are you out here?" the auburn haired woman asked as she walked across the lobby.

"I just wanted to watch the practice session for a while, Fumihiro and Ryosuke have everything well in hand," the pregnant lady replied holding up a hand for help.

"Well, practice will be over as soon as Mikio finishes his laps, I came in to tell everyone because your husband asked me to," Izumi said helping Natsuki up carefully.

"I have a favor to ask of you Izumi-chan, since you said you wouldn't be joining the team at Autopolis."

"What is it Natsuki-san?"

"I was wondering if you'd stay that weekend with me. Just in case something happens with the baby while they're gone."

"I'll be happy to as long as Takumi-san says it's okay," Izumi said with a wide smile.

"It was his idea, I was nervous about staying alone being six months along so I asked you since most of my friends will be working that weekend," Natsuki said with a somewhat relieved smile on her face.

"We will be too Natsuki-san, just not as hard," the younger woman said causing them both to laugh a little, "I'll bring my bag with me when we drop the boys off at the airport."

Over the next few days things ran smoothly during the practice sessions and after Gavin, Mikio and Tatsuo worked on getting most of the interior put into the 1972 Nissan they'd been working on most of the season. About a week before they were ready to leave the team packed up the trucks before starting practice for the day and sent them on to the circuit so everything would be ready when they arrived.

"Hey Izumi, I need a favor," Tatsuo said holding her back from following the rest of the team, "It's nothing huge, I just need you to come by Saturday morning and let the guys bringing the engine for Nika's car into the shop since you'll have access to the keys this weekend."

"I'll have to warn Natsuki-san, but I can do that," Izumi replied with a smile.

"Thanks a lot, you're amazing," the black haired man said giving her a quick peck on the cheek before joining the rest of the team.

Later that day after practice was done Gavin and Tatsuo were leaning against the Nissan in question trying to figure out a way to get the front and rear windshield and all the weather stripping into the car. Mikio had already headed home for the night after the quarter and side windows were in.

"Okay, we could glue it to the window using weather stripping adhesive, stick a piece of thick string into the framing side and pull the string out to set the weather stripping in place. The adhesive would have to be on the framing for that," Gavin suggested off hand, "Problem is we still need three sets of hands; two on the windshield and one in the car to pull the string."

"How did you come up with an idea like that?" Tatsuo asked liking the idea anyway.

"Saw it done on TV once, worked pretty well too so why not try it?" the buzz cut blonde replied, "You go get Wataru-san, I'll start on getting the string and strips in place."

When the two black haired men came back Gavin had already prepped the front windshield and was working on the back one.

"I just left like five minutes ago, how did you get that done so fast?" Tatsuo asked with a disbelieving tone.

"I've had a lot of practice with window frames and door seals," the buzz cut blonde said while finishing the back windshield preparations, "We'll start with the front obviously, but the back is ready to go once the adhesive is on the framing."

Wataru and Tatsuo placed the front windscreen onto the frame and held it tight as Gavin pulled the string a few inches at a time to be sure it pulled the weather stripping into place. They had a few snags right near the end of working with the back windscreen but once they were overcome the glass installation was complete.

"So, the only thing left is to put the engine in?" Wataru asked while Gavin washed his hands.

"That, the center console that goes around the shifter and a quick test drive and it'll be ready," Tatsuo said with a smile that went from ear to ear.

"You boys have worked pretty hard on this thing, how many of us do you want to help with the final engine installation?" the black haired GT500 mechanic asked looking more to Gavin than Tatsuo.

"At least four sets of hands on the engine and one set under the car," Gavin replied seriously, "I don't want the transmission beating up my paint job so the more the merrier."

"Well I'll be sure to tell Kyoko that she's needed again, you guys haven't asked for much help from her except for the first day when she started the catalog for you."

"That wasn't intentional, but her hands will be useful, Mikio knows he's helping and Reiko's asked to help with this part as well," Tatsuo said still wearing the huge grin.

"You'll have to forgive Tatsuo if his face cracks Wataru-san, he's excited that Nika's championship gift might actually be done before Fuji so he can hand her the keys right after the race," Gavin said with a chuckle, "There were a few points we weren't quite sure that it would be."

The next day the team was running in top gear throughout practice, and the pit crew started setting their own records for the school's first true classes to stand up to. Tatsuo was flying high and fast in the FD, so much so that not even Reiko in the NSX could safely attempt a passing maneuver over her brother when they were on the track together.

"What has that husband of mine in such a good mood?" Nika asked watching the FD fly around the school's course.

"His little project car is almost done, he's excited is all," Gavin replied with a chuckle when he saw his teammate shake her head a little, "We get the engine back this Saturday, probably put it in right after we get back from Autopolis since we'll only have two days off this time."

"We're not getting two weeks this time?" the brown haired woman asked with a surprised tone.

"There's only three weeks between this race and Fuji, we won't have time for a week off much less two," the blonde replied with a shrug, "Wataru just told Tatsuo and I last night. Didn't Tatsuo relay the message?"

"I was asleep by the time he got home last night. I woke up and he was out like a light so I just went back to sleep."

"Well, now you know. Oh, did Reiko tell you about dinner at our place tonight?"

"Yeah, we'll be there, Mikio and Izumi too. I can't wait to see what you've come up with this time," Nika giggled as she started to walk towards the building to change.

"You'll see when you get there, just don't be late otherwise it'll be cold," Gavin called with a laugh as he turned to watch his wife's final laps of the day.

Later that night the team sat down to a breakfast buffet for dinner. Gavin and Reiko had cooked up a whole stack of pancakes, waffles, biscuits and sausage gravy, and French toast for the main courses and had fruit toppings for all of it along with scrambled and boiled eggs, ham, sausage and bacon.

"Gavin, why did you want to do this tonight?" Mikio asked after the blessing was said.

"Well the only one at this table whom I've cooked breakfast for is Reiko, I figured why not let you guys try it?" the blonde shrugged as he took a couple of the waffles, "There is enough for everyone to have two of whatever they want so dig in."

"But why not after Autopolis?" the bleach blonde asked taking a couple of pancakes.

"Because we're not going to slow down after Autopolis, we're going to get straight into practicing harder than ever for Fuji, tonight is probably the last time we'll have a dinner like this as teammates," Tatsuo replied instead of the chef, "And that warrants taking time four days before we leave for a race."

"You know, I really didn't think about this being the last time we might get together as a bunch of drivers for the same team," Mikio said with a somber tone, "Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I'm going to miss this kind of thing."

"Mikio, there will be times in the future that we'll get together same as always," Reiko said with a similar tone, "They just won't be as often and we won't be teammates anymore, we might just be opponents."

"Well all things considered I'd hate to be on a team against you and Gavin, I don't think whoever gets you two will regret it," the bleach blonde said with a laugh, "But since I'm going on to GT300 I doubt I'll get the chance to actually race against you."

"I probably won't be racing next year Mikio, Gavin is seriously thinking about taking Takeshi-san's offer to take his seat. I'll be driving in the 24 hours of Le Mans if he does, but I won't have a race seat," the curly black haired woman said with a small smile on her lips.

"You're willing to go along with that?" Izumi asked, taken by surprise considering how Reiko used to talk about wanting a seat of her own in the next season.

"I don't want to race against my husband, it wouldn't feel right, that's all, and unlike Tatsuo and Nika we don't have any offers that would put both of us on the same team," Reiko replied with a serious tone as she took a couple pieces of French toast.

"Nika would race against me in a heartbeat if it meant she could drive fast," Tatsuo said with a chuckle as he put some fried cinnamon apples on top of his pancakes.

"I wouldn't actually, Reiko's right, it wouldn't feel right to work for a different team than your husband, even weirder to actually race against him," Nika said surprising her husband of a month.

"Plus if you think about it logically, no team would hire a rival team driver's wife to drive for them, most of them have a conscience about that kind of thing," Gavin added with a slight shrug, "So if Tatsuo takes one offer, the offers Nika has would probably go out the window unless they're working for the same team, same goes the other way around."

"I didn't think about that," Tatsuo said sounding like he was re-thinking a decision.

"Alright, dig in folks before it all gets cold," Reiko said with a smile trying to get everyone back to a happier mood.

The team dug into their breakfast dinner and kept to happier subjects such as telling Izumi all about the first race Mikio went into against Nika at Mt. Myogi and his race against an injured Tatsuo at Akagi.

"Why did you race him with a messed up arm?" Izumi asked when Tatsuo showed her the faint scar on his right arm from the surgery.

"Because I was trying to get my muscles back in shape after they rebuilt my forearm," Tatsuo said with a serious tone, "The new steering system in my RX-8 was heavier but it was still ten times easier than driving that old Mazda Cosmo the school used for our training car that didn't have power assist at all."

"I tried to talk him into taking me on later but he said no to that idea since it was his first race in over a year," Mikio said with a laugh, "When I thought about it later that night I'm glad he didn't take me up on it since I couldn't beat him busted up what chance did I have with him all healed up?"

"Does that injury ever bother you when you're racing Tatsuo-san?" Izumi asked sounding genuinely curious and a little concerned.

"Not really since it's been nearly two years, but every once in a blue moon I'll feel it, for example the entire week before the race at Sportsland Sugo," the black haired man said with a shrug before taking a bite of his pancakes.

"Which is one of three reasons he let me take his place in the FD for Sugo and Suzuka," Mikio added with a small smirk on his lips remembering his two second place finishes as a professional driver, "Kit loved being able to see me race this season, I hate that Mom is making him buckle down next year, I had it all worked out with my next boss to let him come as like the team mascot," the bleach blonde added making everyone chuckle.

"So that's what happened after your Mom found out about him and Emiko-chan," Gavin said with a smile, "I was wondering why we hadn't seen him around since the wedding."

"No that is because of his wanting to go to Fuji for the entire weekend, so he's not taking any days off and he's keeping his schoolwork as priority one until the day she says it's okay," Izumi said with a giggle, "The punishment for him and Emiko was an all out tickle assault after he made a crack about getting caught kissing her by the photographer," she added making everyone laugh.

"No one can defeat their own mother, doesn't matter how hard you try or how old you are, they don't have to play fair," Gavin said once he'd calmed down, "It must be in the 'mother's rule book' or something cause my Aunt told me that after Mom about kicked my ass for doing something stupid right before we moved here."

Gavin noticed a somber look on Nika's face as she fiddled with the half of a waffle she still had on her plate. The brown haired woman was so deep into her thoughts that she nearly hit the ceiling when the blonde reached out and touched her shoulder.

"Something wrong Nika?" he asked when she'd calmed herself just a little.

"No, just thinking about how many memories I probably missed out on when I was younger," the brown haired woman replied before shaking her head a little to try and rid herself of the thoughts.

"Hey, your dad did a great job with you, despite being a contractor and half out of his league with a spitfire like he says you were," Tatsuo said with a chuckle while hugging his wife as best he could, "And you've got plenty of good memories with him too."

"Sometimes I wonder though, what could have been," his wife replied leaning into the hug.

"We all do sometimes Nika-san," Izumi said with a small smile, "Every living thing on Earth probably wonders what could have been."

"Yeah, the tree in the backyard probably wonders when the squirrel will move out of the knot hole in the upper branches," Gavin said making everyone laugh.

After dinner they sat and talked about old memories, Nika sharing several of when her Dad's boss would come over and babysit both her and her father just after her mother died since he knew what it felt like to lose someone so close, even going as far as spending a night or two just sitting with Toshiyuki in the kitchen and letting him cry out his heart. Reiko told a few of the stories from their recent visit with Gavin's 'big sister' Jessica Samford and her two daughters who just loved their Aunt Reiko and Uncle Gavin and just how much fun that whole week had been before they all went their separate ways for the evening.

What was left of the time before their departure for Autopolis flew by for the whole team. Izumi and Natsuki dropped off Mikio and Takumi at the terminal with the rest of the team and left Mikio's Lan-Evo VI in the parking garage for when they came back. Mikio made a joke about the drive home probably being more nerve wracking than the whole weekend causing the whole team to laugh before they said their goodbyes to the two women and went into the airport.

Natsuki and Izumi spent most of the first two days just shopping around in the mall close to the Fujiwara house or spending time getting the final touches in the nursery dealt with since Takumi had already done the biggest portion of the painting. The lighting in the room had made Takumi's choice of a pale green seem so much better than Natsuki's yellow that, with Itsuki's help, he'd gone a little overboard on it. Once she'd finished with the touch up painting Izumi had the idea of stenciling a few animal shapes in different colors on the furniture and crib to break it up a little and they also repainted the chair rail, and the window and door frames white to help.

"It's beautiful now," Natsuki said with a giggle when she saw the room for the second first time, "Do you think Takumi will like it?"

"Well they just got done with qualifying according to the schedule so why don't we send him a picture and find out?" Izumi asked taking her phone out to take the picture.

Takumi immediately texted a 'thank you' and 'it's amazing' filled reply that had both of the ladies laughing for a short moment before they read where the team had qualified for the races. Nika and Tatsuo had only managed sixth place while Gavin and Reiko managed to hold on to a fifth place starting post.

"This is going to be a really tough race for them," Natsuki said seriously before her attitude shifted back to happy, "Hey, let's invite some people over to watch the race with us. No reason it has to be just the two of us here."

"I don't know the numbers for any of the women racers around here," Izumi replied with a downcast tone, "But I know Emiko-san said something about coming if I called her and told her what to bring,"

"Call Reiko-chan first, maybe she can get a couple of those racers you talked about," the pregnant woman said excitedly.

By the next day Izumi had called everyone she could think of who would want to watch the race with them, and Reiko called a few from the track since they probably wouldn't answer for anyone but her or Gavin. The party was still pretty small, only Emiko and Takako Shinagawa didn't have any plans to watch the race with anyone else. Emiko because she was waiting for Izumi to say for sure whether or not there would be a party and Takako because Makato got pulled into working at the last second. When they sat down in the living room the race broadcast was just coming on.

"Ladies and Gentlemen we come to you live from Hita City in the Ōita Prefecture, at Autopolis International Speedway for the Super GT season's last race before the championship. The rain that rolled in around midnight last night looks like it's going to be drying out just in time to start the race so the course will be slick for a while," the black haired commentator said with a cheery tone.

"The cars and drivers are awaiting the final say to get to the starting gate so we've got the running order playing on the screen in the meantime, looks like Takeshi Kanzaki got his edge back for this race since for the second time this season he'll be running in the pole position, while our rookie team didn't even make it to their usual second place starting positions moving all the way back to fifth and sixth for the Takahashi Racing teams," the other commentator said with a wide smile as they played the rest of the running order at the bottom of the screen, "In more happy news for that team their two GT300 drivers, Nika Mahara and Tatsuo Sasaki, got married just after the race in Motegi, so we congratulate them on that."

"Geez those guys are way too upbeat," Takako said as she leaned back into the couch when the race went to a commercial.

"Tell me about it, I'm cheery but damn these guys look like me on a sugar high with a caffeine chaser," Emiko said with a somewhat disgusted tone.

"They're just doing their jobs, they get paid to be that way," Natsuki said with a simple shrug.

"Yeah we know that but still couldn't they turn it down a little?" Takako said leaning her head back and shutting her eyes, "It's going to get seriously annoying listening to those guys the whole race."

"Can't argue with that," Izumi and Natsuki said at the same time causing the whole room to giggle a little bit just before the race came back on.

"Welcome back race fans, the cars have all taken their final starting positions and we'll be getting the warmup lap started shortly. We've got a gal in the pit boxes ready to interview a couple drivers about their pre-race traditions and rituals," the commentator said just before turning it over to the woman.

The camera switched to a black haired woman standing with Gavin, Tatsuo, Takeshi Kanzaki and a fourth driver from the Super GT series all dressed in their full racing suits.

"I'm here with Takeshi Kanzaki and Gavin Reynolds from the GT500 series, and Tatsuo Sasaki and Tomoyuki Tanaka from the GT300 series," the woman said with a wide smile, "Let's start with you Kanzaki-san, what kind of pre-race rituals do you have?"

"I'm pretty sure the only ritual I have is kissing my wife and two kids before I leave home," the brown haired man replied with a chuckle, "And their picture before I get in the car."

"What about you Reynolds-san? Anything special you do before a race?"

"Nothing really besides telling my wife I love her before the race," the buzz cut blonde answered with an almost uncomfortable smile.

"Well these two certainly are the romantic type, what about you Sasaki-san? You're recently married, has this brought up any new pre-race rituals for you?"

"Not really, my pre-race ritual is lying out on my bed and trying to clear my mind before the race, but I do tell Nika to be careful before the races really start," Tatsuo answered with a warm smile and a chuckle.

"Hey, a meditation fan and a romantic, your wife certainly must enjoy that," the interviewer said with a wide smile before she moved on to the last of the men, "And what about you Tanaka-san?"

"Well I'm the only one here not married, so I tend to just sit in the quietest place I can find in all this mess and enjoy it while it lasts," the man replied causing the other drivers and interviewer to laugh a little bit.

"Well the warmup lap is underway so we should be letting these gentlemen get back to their paddocks, it was nice talking to all of you," the woman said before turning the race back over to the regular commentators who then sent it to another commercial before the race's true start.

"I didn't know that Gavin-kun and Reiko-chan had a pre-race ritual," Natsuki said looking away from the TV momentarily.

"He tells her good luck if she's starting, she tells him good luck and that she loves him when he is," Izumi said with a shrug, "Reiko-san still does the same thing as Tatsuo-san if she's not starting the race though."

The ladies enjoyed the race itself in relative silence, cheering aloud when Reiko or Tatsuo moved up a place, or just chatting during the commercials. When Gavin set out in the NSX for the second half of the race he was desperately trying to hold onto third place as he came out of the pits. Tatsuo came out easily holding onto the fifth place that Nika had worked hard to get back before coming in.

When the NSX started its lap at the 'fifteen to go' mark Gavin was in top form and holding on to second place. The white SC430 in third made a move in the third corner, an open ninety degree right hander. He stuck his nose right near Gavin's door forcing the blonde to move to the outside of the corner.

Right at the apex the SC430 lost all traction and slammed hard into the red and gold NSX's driver's side quarter panel sending it into the still wet grass before Gavin could react. The accident caused the SC430 to turn sideways across the track and take out a GT300 350Z while Gavin fought hard to get the NSX to not hit the wall. Finally the back of the NSX slammed into the safety wall destroying the rear body of the car and shattering the back window in the process.

It took Mikio and Wataru both holding on to Reiko to keep her from jumping over the pit wall and trying to run out to the damaged car and her husband as the whole field came to a stop. Izumi had Takumi on the phone not even two seconds after to find out what happened and how Gavin was doing since Natsuki seemed in a state of shock.

"Takumi-san, is Gavin alright?" the auburn haired woman asked watching the TV as rescue crews tended to all three cars.

"He's already said he's fine, or at least his approximation of it, and that he can't get the door open or he'd have already been out. I'll call back when I know more Izumi-chan, Reiko-chan is going a little crazy right now," Takumi replied before quickly hanging up the phone.

"What did he say?" Takako asked not taking her eyes off the screen.

"Gavin-san is fine, he's already said so, but the door is jammed shut so he can't get out," Izumi said with a relieved sigh and a small giggle.

In the car Gavin had his helmet off and his fireproof balaclava as well while he talked to Reiko trying to calm her down while the rescue crew worked on getting his door open. When they did they took him straight to the clinic after he stepped out and walked to the ambulance on his own two feet. Once he was allowed to leave the small clinic the track had Gavin immediately went back to the paddock and straight into the pit boxes where Reiko, who by Ryosuke's order had stayed with the rest of the team, nearly tackled him to the ground when she hugged him.

"Don't ever scare me like that again," Reiko whispered through a happy sob as she held onto her husband not caring about any of the journalists that were around.

"No promises, but I'll do my best," the buzz cut blonde chuckled as he pushed her to an arm's length, "Where is the car?"

"They've already got it on the truck, Tatsuo's up to fourth and trying to get by the guy in third," Keisuke answered as he walked by with a few tools in hand, "It's still open if you want to see how bad it is, you'll be running the spare in Fuji for sure, Aniki said there wasn't enough time to get the car replaced unless we had it meet us at Fuji."

"Which is probably going to be what he'll do, I hope. I'd rather not be out of that race because of an accident in practice or qualifying," Gavin said with a confident tone, "I'm sure he wouldn't either Keisuke-san."

"Is it bad that you just quoted my brother and you didn't even hear him say it?" the spiky haired blonde asked jokingly before moving on to help finish loading the NSX equipment.

Back in Gunma Natsuki, Izumi, Takako and Emiko were all relieved to hear from Gavin himself that he was in perfect health as the race went into its final two laps. Tatsuo was fighting hard to get on the podium but having no luck at all since the GT-R he was chasing seemed to be just fast enough to stay out of reach. When he crossed the finish line in fourth place everyone seemed to slump down for a few minutes.

"Takeshi Kanzaki and his teammate take home their third win of this season today and we congratulate them. On a slightly different subject this will be the first time the Takahashi Racing Team will be walking away with no one on the podium since Suzuka back in March," one of the commentators said with a smile, "We'd like to send out our condolences to the rookie team on this after running such a spectacular…"

Natsuki cut the TV off before the man could finish what he was about to say, nearly throwing the remote control at it before just placing it on the table in front of her.

"Acting like they're out of the season just because of one crash," the brown haired woman muttered angrily at the blank screen, "They won't quit, not just because of one little crash."

"Natsuki-san, that was a pretty spectacular crash, do they even have another car to keep going in?" Takako asked having never seen the spare for the NSX.

"Yes they have a spare, and I'd bet money Ryosuke-san has already called and is having another one built," Izumi said with a calm tone since Natsuki seemed too ticked off at the commentators.

"Hey, why don't we throw a little party at the school, to cheer them up when they get home tomorrow?" Emiko asked with a wide smile.

"We really won't have time to, once they get back Tatsuo-san is going to have everyone except me working on his project car," the auburn haired woman replied causing a disappointed look to fall on the blonde's face, "Sorry Emiko-san, but they just got the engine back yesterday and that's the last thing and it will be finished, he really wants it done before they go to Fuji."

"I understand, he's been working on that car since the season started, he has a right to finish it before he goes off to another race if he wants," the blonde haired woman replied with a small smile, "Does anyone actually know what he's planning for that thing?"

"Yup, but we've been sworn to secrecy, he doesn't want his plan getting around," Natsuki said rejoining the conversation.


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

On the flight home from the Autopolis race Nika went to sleep and Tatsuo took the opportunity to talk to his teammates and bosses about completing his project car.

"Tatsuo-kun, you shouldn't be moving around the cabin on such a short flight," Kyoko said as he knelt down close next to her and Keisuke.

"Well I wanted to talk to everyone while Nika was asleep, you are the only two left," Tatsuo replied calmly, "I need you two to help out getting that S30Z done tonight; the plan is to go on home and settle in for an hour or so and then go back to the school to finish the car up to at least the test fire."

"Alright, what is everyone else doing and what are we doing?" Kyoko asked with a quiet tone.

"Ryosuke-san and Izumi agreed before we left that they, along with Natsuki-san, would be the distraction team since Nika has an associates degree in business administration and they could use some help with paperwork," the black haired man replied before looking back to his seat next to his wife, "Gavin needs your hands on the block Keisuke-san. Kyoko-san, you and Mikio will be basically handing Gavin and I the tools we need since we're going to be under it putting everything together."

"I'm guessing Wataru and Nobuhiko will have their hands on the block as well then," Keisuke said before leaning back into his seat.

"Wataru-san will have his hands on the block, Nobuhiko-san will be lowering the engine into place with the crane thing," Tatsuo said with a chuckle, "See you at the school two hours after landing," he added before he got up and walked back to his seat.

When they landed Takumi and Mikio went to the Fujiwara household while everyone else went to their own homes to rest for a short time. While they waited Gavin and Reiko were unpacking all the clothes they took with them including the dress and tuxedo they'd worn to dinner with Takeshi Kanzaki and his wife Kumiko.

"That was a nice restaurant they took us to this time," Reiko said looking at the silver single strap dress as she hung it in the closet.

"They've all been nice places Reiko," her husband replied with a chuckle, "Though I'll admit I'm glad that he had a car there because Ryosuke-san left his FC at the airport this time."

"Didn't Kumiko say that their team always brought at least two cars in case the drivers wanted to leave early?"

"She did but I never expected them to be Mercedes CLK500s, it seems like too much luxury for Takeshi-san's taste," Gavin said with a laugh.

"It is, Kumiko was the one that suggested them," Reiko replied with a giggle of her own.

"Well that doesn't seem so surprising then, she does like the niceties of life," the buzz cut blonde replied with a shrug as he continued to unpack.

Over at Tatsuo and Nika's they were unpacking as well and Nika was trying her hardest to pry what the project car was out of her husband.

"I can't believe you're this curious now that the thing is almost done, you didn't even want to help me pick the color on the thing two months ago," Tatsuo said with a chuckle just before he dodged the pillow his wife threw his way.

"Just because I don't care what color it is doesn't mean I don't want to know what it is," Nika huffed as she sat on the edge of the bed, "I don't get why I have to help with paperwork for the school while you finish it either," she added having been informed by Ryosuke just before they left the airport.

"Hey, you're the only one with a degree in the field, Gavin's bachelors degree is in child development, Reiko's associates is in automotive engineering if you can believe that and mine is in graphic design and music," her husband replied honestly.

"I didn't know Gavin had a degree at all," the brown haired woman said with a surprised tone, "Why if he's such a gear head, did he get a degree in that?"

"He got it because of his tutoring; the school near the base he spent six years on required you to have a degree just to be a tutor, so he took college courses before he got out of high school so he could tutor as a paid member of the school's staff after he graduated," Tatsuo said with a serious tone, "Reiko got hers because the art classes were full but the design aspect of it really came naturally to her, the rest I'm shocked she passed."

About two hours after they landed as agreed the four drivers and the highest staff members of the two Takahashi Racing teams met back at the school. Natsuki, Izumi, Ryosuke and Nika all went into the main building while everyone else went to the maintenance garage to finish the 1972 Nissan Fairlady Z that had been sitting in the bay since just after the first Suzuka race.

Gavin lifted the car just high enough for him and Tatsuo to slide under it to guide the engine and transmission down while Reiko, Mikio and Kyoko all got things ready to start passing tools and things under the car when they called for them. The engine went down smoothly and the transmission hooked up to the driveshaft without a problem. Things went a lot faster as Reiko started putting oil in the engine while Nobuhiko and Kyoko went through the brake bleeding process with Gavin and Tatsuo. Gavin waited until everyone was done with their assigned jobs to raise the car and put the final welds in the exhaust system before putting it back on the ground and climbing into the driver's seat.

"Now or never," the blonde muttered as he stuck the key in the ignition and turned the engine over.

The S20 engine that powered the S30Z sprang to life almost immediately with a loud growl from its new exhaust system before it settled to a low grumble at idle.

"And now all that's left is to make sure it's drivable," Tatsuo said with a wide smile as the engine idled under the partially open hood of the car, "But that will wait till later, let's get this thing buttoned up and covered."

After the badges were all in place the car was pushed back away from the lift and covered to wait until Tatsuo could come back and test drive it around the circuit without Nika seeing. When the group walked out of the large garage space Nika was standing near the pit lane wall talking with Izumi under the lighting from the shelter over the observation tower.

"About time, we finished almost half an hour ago," Nika said just before the loud sound of an engine starting came from the F1 course's direction.

"Well we had a…" Tatsuo started before the sound of a second engine being started interrupted his talking, "We just got it test fired so we had to put it away until someone can test drive it."

The sound of two engines then got too loud for the group to talk over and Reiko noticed the lights of the school's F1 course were on and started heading that way, the others quickly following as everyone got curious to see what was going on. When the man on the tower noticed they had an audience he called the two GP2 cars that were making their way around the course back into the pits.

"Ahh Ryosuke-san, what brings you here so soon after a race?" the Formula 1 mechanic that was hired on as a teacher asked as the two GP2 cars made their way around the course at a slower pace.

"Just finishing up that Nissan over in the maintenance bay and catching up on paperwork," Ryosuke replied calmly trying to keep Tatsuo's secret with Nika so close by.

"I was wondering who that car belonged to," the mechanic said coming down from the observation tower, "I gotta tell you, the paint and interior on that car are spectacularly done."

This compliment brought wide smiles to Gavin and Reiko both, Reiko having picked the white and pale blue vinyl that currently adorned the car's seats and door panels.

"Well now that it's done all that's left is to test drive it and hand the keys off to its rightful owner," Keisuke said just before Kyoko elbowed him in the gut for saying too much and before he could point Nika's way.

"So when did we get all these new cars?" Gavin asked breaking the silence when he noticed the two covered F1 cars at the other end of pit lane.

"They were delivered just after the race in Motegi so it's not too surprising that you haven't seen them until now," the F1 mechanic said with a chuckle as the two GP2 cars pulled into pit lane, "We've kept them tucked away in our maintenance bays until tonight."

"Mind if we take a look then?" Keisuke asked just before the two drivers of the GP2 cars climbed out of them.

"Let's introduce the new teachers to the rest of the staff first Keisuke," Ryosuke said as the two men removed their helmets to show their faces.

"Well I'm the GP2 driving instructor," the two time champion said with a smile, "This is the mechanics teacher for GP2," he added gesturing to the other man dressed in a racing suit.

"It seems that something was left out of your resume," Ryosuke said directing the statement at the GP2 mechanic, "You didn't tell me you could drive them as well as fix them."

"That's because I'm not supposed to be driving them," the mechanic said with a chuckle, "I crashed one of these things about six years ago as a tester of a team, now my right arm and leg won't let me stay behind the wheel for more than a few laps at a time."

"Well don't hurt yourself, I may be a doctor but I won't be here after this Super GT season ends," Ryosuke said before he turned to leave the group, "Now if you'll excuse me I've got a date."

Keisuke's eyes went wide as his brother walked calmly away from the group towards his FC. As the doctor drove off the rest of the current Takahashi Racing Team went their own separate ways as well. As Keisuke drove home with his wife he couldn't figure out if his brother had been joking about the date or not.

"Keisuke, your brother doesn't have a sense of humor when it comes to things like that," Kyoko giggled when she saw her husband's contemplative look.

"Yeah I know, but I've never heard him so open about something like that since Kaori is all," the spiky haired blonde replied with a concerned tone, "It kinda has me thinking about who it could be."

"Who is Kaori?" the dirty blonde haired woman asked not having heard the name before.

"She was a girl my brother knew a long time ago; she committed suicide after something the guy she was engaged to did," Keisuke replied with a concerned tone, "Aniki never did tell me the whole story but I knew it hurt him quite a lot because he loved her, and her him. I didn't think I'd ever hear him say he had a date after that."

"Could it be one of the doctors from the clinic?"

"I don't know, he's never shown an interest in any of the women doctors there as far as I know, the nurses swoon over him quite a bit though so it could be one of them," Keisuke said with a chuckle, "He'll introduce us when he's ready I guess."

Over in Takasaki, Ryosuke pulled into the clinic's parking garage before walking into the building. As he made his way towards his office to do some last minute paperwork his secretary had called him about, he thought about the tall lady doctor that was probably just getting ready to come off her shift in the ICU. Ever since the board had invited him to the party he couldn't get the black haired woman out of his mind for some reason.

The brown haired doctor spent about half an hour in his office before putting on his white coat and going to check on a few of the patients. He was back in his office and getting ready to leave for what was left of the night when Dr. Yuki Nakahara knocked on his office door.

"What is it Dr. Nakahara?" Ryosuke asked remaining professional while his secretary was in hearing range.

"I came to ask a favor," the tall black haired woman asked with a nervous tone as she chewed on her lip a little causing a few moments of awkward silence she used to gather her courage, "Takahashi-san, I'd like to go to Fuji with your team."

Ryosuke stood there quietly trying to figure out what to say since for the first time since he'd become a doctor he'd been shocked completely out of his ability to speak.

"Why?" the brown haired doctor asked since it was the first thing on his mind.

"Because after that accident your NSX driver suffered I think you could use the extra hand," Yuki replied still sounding a lot more nervous than she should have.

"My driver is fine, his wife freaked out more than he got hurt," Ryosuke said with a chuckle, "That was in the post race TV report so I can't help but think you have a different motive."

"Oh fine," the black haired woman said with an exasperated tone, "I want to go because I want to see the championship race first hand but I have to work that day."

"Alright, I'll see what I can come up with," the brown haired man said with a chuckle, "But you'll have to take care of your own hotel room and transportation costs, resources are a little thin since I had to have a spare built before the last race."

"Okay that just makes it sound like you'll give me the time off and a ticket to the race," Yuki replied bluntly.

"It's all I can do, the all zones pass goes with the ticket but I can't arrange for you to travel with the team since you're not a member of the staff. My team's families will be paying their own way to the circuit but the team is paying for their tickets and passes, I have a spare ticket and pass because of that."

"I guess I don't have much choice if I'm going to go then," the black haired doctor said with a tone that said she'd take the deal she was given.

"Probably, the tickets sold out pretty quickly for this one since a rookie team is probably going to take the championship," Ryosuke said reaching into his desk drawer and handing her the pass and ticket for the race at Fuji International Speedway, "Would you care to join me for a late dinner?"

"A trade? The ticket and pass for dinner?"

"An honest invitation, I haven't eaten since before my flight took off and as your boss I'd be derelict in my duties if I thought you had time to since your shift started."

"You win, let's go to the cafeteria."

"I was thinking somewhere a little nicer and definitely a lot better tasting," Ryosuke replied with a chuckle as he took his coat off the rack by the door.

Taking his FC to a small restaurant just a few minutes from the clinic, Ryosuke spent most of the trip listening to a few of Yuki's nervous ramblings that covered her high school years. When they arrived though, she found herself unable to speak since the place appeared to be a family owned type of place.

"This is your definition of nicer than the cafeteria?" the black haired woman asked skeptically as they walked inside.

"Well our cafeteria may look a little nicer, but the people here are definitely nicer and the food is too," Ryosuke replied with a chuckle.

When they were seated a very friendly waitress took their drink orders and Ryosuke actually ordered for both him and Yuki since she couldn't seem to figure out what she wanted more. They sat in a rather comfortable silence for a short time before Ryosuke's phone rang in his pocket. When he didn't recognize the number he simply pressed the button to ignore the call. Just before he tried to start a conversation his phone rang again with the same number appearing on the screen.

"Takahashi Ryosuke," the brown haired man said sounding his most professional, "Whom am I speaking with?"

"Ryosuke, it's your cousin, Tsugumi," the female voice on the other end replied bluntly, "I gave you my new number last time we spoke, you were supposed to save it."

"Tsugumi? What has you calling me so late?" Ryosuke replied trying to figure out what could be wrong and ignoring his cousin's tone.

"Nothing really, I need your help with one of my classes and was wondering if you could give me a hand," the man's cousin replied sweetly.

"Well I'm in the middle of something right now, are you free tomorrow night?" he asked with a slight pause not wanting to give anything up.

"I should be," Tsugumi's voice said sounding happy, "So what are you in the middle of that you can't come tonight?" the girl asked implying that she already knew.

"I'm having dinner with a fellow doctor," Ryosuke replied honestly, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Without waiting for her to reply he closed the call and looked at the black haired woman in front of him with a slight smirk on his lips that always seemed to come after talking to his cousin. Before he could try and start anything Yuki simply looked him dead in the eye with a rather serious expression on her face that made him stop.

"Girlfriend?" Yuki asked with a seriousness that matched her appearance.

"No, my cousin, she's attending her university classes and has asked for my help as her private tutor like she used to in middle school," Ryosuke answered with the smirk still on his face.

"What's her major?" the black haired doctor asked trying to make him slip up.

"I'm not really sure, she's changed it a couple of times since she started," the brown haired man replied without missing a beat, "Last I heard she was trying some kind of design classes."

The short silence between the two was just long enough for Ryosuke to figure out what the slight hint of emotion in his colleague's tone had been, and unless he was very much mistaken, it was jealousy.

"Is it just me or are you just a little bit jealous that I just had a conversation with another woman right in front of you?" he asked boldly.

"N-no! I was just curious is all," the black haired doctor replied losing her composure momentarily causing Ryosuke's smirk to grow a little.

"I don't understand why you would be, I realize that we've gone on a date or two, but I don't think we've gotten to a point where one should be jealous," the brown haired doctor said calmly.

"It was a fleeting moment of weakness okay?" Yuki replied with a snarky tone, "Don't go thinking that I would be hurt or anything if you started seeing someone."

"I can only assume that you're trying to hide what you're really feeling, so I'll tell you this," Ryosuke paused making sure he had the woman's full attention, "I do like you Nakahara-chan, but there is no reason to think at this moment I'd start dating someone else when you and I have already started."

"I…what?"

"Well, I'd like you to continue to go to dinner with me once in a while, maybe a movie or a play here and there."

"You…you're asking me to be your girlfriend?" Yuki asked sounding extremely confused and extremely shocked.

"If you'd like the title," Ryosuke replied calmly with a slight nod.

"You barely know me, are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I think I've gotten to know you well enough in the professional sense. You're hard working, smart but willing to accept help or ask when you need it, and you're a rather brilliant mind where cars are concerned judging by our few short conversations on the topic. So why not see where it goes?"

Their food arrived giving the black haired woman a chance to think about what to say next as she took a bite of the chicken that Ryosuke had helpfully ordered for her. They sat in a rather awkward silence as Yuki continued to think about all the implications that might come up and what might change at the clinic.

"Yuki-chan, our professional relationship wouldn't change," Ryosuke said as if reading her mind and using her first name for the first time since the board member's party.

"That's what's bothering me the most, what do I tell the next guy who asks me out? 'I'm sorry but I'm dating my boss'?" the lady doctor asked with a slight chuckle.

"Or you could just tell them you have a boyfriend," her boss replied with a slight chuckle of his own when her eyes got a little wider.

"So if I were to kiss you in the middle of the ICU, how would you react?" Yuki asked looking a little mischievous.

"I'd kiss you back, but I'd prefer you didn't do that, I don't want to reprimand you for kissing up to the boss," Ryosuke replied with a serious tone that made Yuki's small smile disappear.

"Would you actually do that?"

"As I said, our professional relationship probably won't change, at least not right away; there are just some things that need to be left out of the public eye until one can be sure of where they're going. That said, I wouldn't mind if you did drop by my office and had lunch or dinner with me or small displays of affection when we're at the clinic."

"What about in a place like this? With none of our colleagues around?"

"Well outside the clinic, I'm not your boss, I'm just another guy."

Ryosuke couldn't help the small flutter he felt in his chest when she let out a very childish giggle just before she came around the table and kissed him full on the mouth in a rather passionate manner.

"I've wanted to do that ever since I kissed you after the board party," Yuki admitted with a faint blush on her cheeks after she broke the kiss causing her new boyfriend to chuckle quietly, "Can I ask you something?"

"Almost anything."

"Well, I'm a little curious about why you chose me? I mean I'm no supermodel when it comes to looks after all."

"Yuki-chan, you're beautiful exactly the way you are, a woman like you can understand what needs to be done before anything is said; unlike those who just want to swoon over me like some priceless idol, and you're not the type to do that anyway. I'm not even sure you would have looked at me the first day you were at the clinic if you weren't lost, your job comes first and I like that."

"I kinda had to Ryosuke-san, you were the one doing my interview no matter which way you would have done it," she replied with a giggle before she reached across the table and pulled her dinner to her, "Hey, what about the honorifics? I don't think my boyfriend should be calling me Yuki-chan all the time."

"Let's go with what's more comfortable for now," the brown haired doctor replied with a thoughtful tone, "We'll get around the habit eventually I'm sure."

They sat on the same side of the booth for the remaining time they spent at the small diner talking about Project D and the current team under Ryosuke's management. When they went back to the clinic to get Yuki's car she was positively freaked out when the battery turned up dead as a door nail. After jumpstarting the car Ryosuke agreed to follow her to her apartment to be sure she got there without any problems. Before he left for home he gave Yuki his number for his cell phone just in case she needed a ride the next morning.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

The first Sunday after the disaster that was the race in Autopolis, Ryosuke's Project GT team was training harder than ever before. The brown haired doctor was watching from the top of the observation tower in pit lane as two Super GT ready cars made their way around the course, one a GT500 ready black Honda NSX, the other a black GT300 ready Mazda RX-7. Keisuke and Takumi were watching both the cars and Ryosuke since they were testing some different settings for the training cars for the fourth day in a row. Mikio had opted to stay out of the cars for the time being since he knew that even if one of his four teammates got hurt somehow, he wouldn't be driving at Fuji.

"Gavin-kun, you're free to go up to eighty percent now that the new settings have been tested," Keisuke said after getting a short nod from his older brother.

"Roger that, ten laps at eighty coming right up," the buzz cut blonde replied through the radio as the black NSX gained a little more speed through the main track's main straight.

A few moments later Takumi gave Tatsuo the same instructions and the black FD gained some speed of its own. Tatsuo was making his way through the longest straight between the throttle course's tightest hairpin corner and the v-turn that followed it, when he felt the car lurch slightly and he lost control of the tail momentarily.

"Takumi-san something's wrong, I've got my foot on the floor and the car feels like its dragging it's feet," the black haired man said through the radio.

"Get it to pit lane and we'll check it out," his team manager replied through the radio as Tatsuo slowed down to a point he could control the car more easily.

"We're going to call an end to training for the day, so when you get back in feel free to go where you please," Ryosuke's voice came through both radios causing the NSX to reduce its speed quite a bit as well.

When both cars returned to pit lane the fuel filler for the FD was the first to notice what had caused the car to feel like it was being held back. The bolts that allowed the rear wing to remain attached to its mounts and allowed its angle to be adjusted had all but come out of their holes.

"Takahashi-san, we're going to need to remount the rear wing on this car," the man said while he loosened the bolts the last two or three threads and took the wing itself off the mounts.

"Who did I leave in charge of checking those the last time we inspected this thing?" Kyoko said sounding angry at the whole mechanical team.

One of the junior mechanics took responsibility for the slip and while they pushed the car to the maintenance bay the dirty blonde haired woman chewed him up one wall, down the next and up the wall after that before spitting him out. Once the car was in the bay Kyoko continued to tell off the whole team for not checking after each other.

"Remind me not to piss her off," Gavin said to no one in particular as he and his teammates watched on with shocked expressions on their faces since they'd never seen her in that kind of mood before.

"She has a right to be angry at him, if that happened during a race it could have cost us that race," Ryosuke said with a serious tone.

"Of that I have no doubt Ryosuke-san, but damn I'd hate to be the one that kind of fury is directed at," the buzz cut blonde said getting nods of agreement from everyone that was still standing in pit lane.

Once things, and Kyoko, had calmed a little the mechanical team for the NSX moved the car into the storage area while the drivers all went to change back into their regular clothing. When the drivers came back they all gave their inputs on the new settings and Tatsuo had a chat with the mechanics about the rear wing on the FD before they all met up by their own cars.

"Nika, you go on home, I've got a couple things I want to do with that project car," Tatsuo said as he handed her the keys to his RX-8.

"I take Gavin's going to be driving you home then?" the brown haired woman asked as she walked back around the car to the driver's side.

"If not I can always drive the Nissan home," her husband replied with a chuckle.

Nika simply rolled her eyes as Reiko climbed into the passenger seat of her brother's car without even speaking to Gavin about the whole thing. Once both Reiko and Nika had left the Takahashi Racing School's parking lot Gavin and Tatsuo immediately ran back towards the maintenance bay where the 1972 Nissan Fairlady Z sat waiting to be handed off to Nika.

"I honestly didn't think she'd leave that easy," Gavin said as he got the keys out of the toolbox that sat next to the car and tossed them to his brother in-law.

"Neither did I honestly, she's been all over me about this thing the last couple days, yesterday I nearly let the identity of this machine slip," Tatsuo said with a slightly tired tone, "Let's get this thing test driven and go home, fighting the FD today really took it out of me."

"You up for three laps and a tour through the city?" the buzz cut blonde asked sounding a little concerned.

Tatsuo simply nodded and slid into the driver's seat. Gavin slid into the left seat and strapped himself in so he could listen and feel for any mechanical issues. As they went around the first lap Gavin didn't feel anything since Tatsuo was taking it easy on the throttle while he got used to driving the car. When they came around for the third lap Gavin was impressed at the fact his brother in-law seemed to gain the courage of a lion since the S20 engine under the car's hood screamed to a new peak as they made their way through the main straight.

"Geez, you couldn't do this in lap two?" the buzz cut blonde asked with a chuckle as the S30Z flew through the first corner in a low angle slide.

"Wasn't confident enough in my driving until now," Tatsuo replied with a similar chuckle as they cleared the long s-turn.

If the timing system had been on when they finished the third lap they might have been surprised to see that, with two people in the car and no previous knowledge of the car's limits, Tatsuo still managed to beat the lap time Takumi set in the school's Cosmo over two years before and get very close to the time he set in his S2000 the same day.

The track maintenance crew opened the gate for them to take the car off the track before Gavin jumped out of the car and ran into the maintenance bay. When he came out he handed Tatsuo one of the radios the school had to use in the road legal cars they had before he went and got into his toreador red FD and followed the Nissan out onto the main road.

"We should see what it does on the highway," Gavin said into his radio as they made their way down the lane that led to the school.

"What do you suggest? The only place I know of that requires use of the expressway is going to my Mom and Dad's house," Tatsuo replied with a chuckle, "Don't know about you but I am NOT going there with this car, my mother has a big mouth."

"What about my old apartment? I used to go on the expressway when I got caught by the lights."

"Works for me, you want to lead the way?"

"Sure why not? We'll come back through the city," Gavin said gunning his engine and darting past the S30Z before letting it catch up.

As they drove along Gavin kept one eye on his rearview and the other on the road ahead to be sure he didn't lose his tail. When they hit the expressway both Gavin and Tatsuo had a hard time keeping their speed down to not so dangerous levels as they tested the car's movements weaving in and out of what little traffic they found. When they got to Gavin's old apartment they turned around and headed back through the city streets in no particular hurry to get anywhere at all.

"Hey Gavin, if I challenged you to a race, what would you say?" Tatsuo asked while they sat waiting for a light.

"Don't know, depends on where you're challenging me," Gavin replied pulling away from the light just ahead of the Fairlady Z.

"Blue Fire versus Street King scenario then," the black haired man said with a chuckle.

"I'd have to say no, I don't think it would be fair to either of us, you own Akagi again and I'm still owner of Akina after Takumi-san and his father."

"Neutral ground then, Mt. Myogi."

"Now that might actually be fun. Let me ask, did you want to take this to a real thing instead of just some what if?"

"We'll have to wait and see now won't we?"

The two drove the rest of the way back to the Takahashi Racing School in total silence, Gavin keeping his attention split between the road ahead and the car behind just to make sure nothing happened to the S30Z behind him. When they got back to the school Tatsuo parked the Nissan back in the maintenance bay and returned the borrowed radio to its proper place before climbing into the FD with his brother in-law and going home for the evening.

For the next three days Reiko, Gavin, Tatsuo and Nika went around the track's shortest layout 50 laps per stint generally running 4 sets a day each. Mikio took a stint only sporadically during those days and he liked to stick to the FD when he did since he'd be driving a similar car in the next season. When they came in on Thursday morning they noticed that the bright orange S15, the black Toyota Supra, the bright red FC, and the copper Z33 from the school's selection of road legal cars were lined up in the main track's pit lane along with Keisuke's yellow FD.

"What is this all about?" Gavin asked as the five drivers of Project GT walked towards the track.

"We're giving you a day off, well sort of anyway," Keisuke replied from their left side as he walked out from behind his own FD wearing one of the school's black racing suits, "We've noticed that your times are falling off a little in the Super GT cars, so today we're going to have a real race in the street cars just for laughs."

"Problem; you've got four cars sitting there," Mikio said with a confused look on his face, "How are you looking to run this race?"

As if taking that as their cue to join them, Wataru, Takumi, Kyoko and all four of the open wheeler teachers came out of the maintenance bay, all wearing the same black racing suits as Keisuke.

"You'll be driving against all of us, two people per car just like in Super GT, we'll put a full tank in each of your cars and put brand new tires on them before we start since that's what we did for the four sitting behind me," Keisuke said with a chuckle seeing his students' shocked expressions.

"Who's running the radios if you guys are all on the track with us?" Gavin asked once he'd recovered from the initial shock.

"We were going to let you run without the radios this time," Keisuke said with a chuckle just before noticing Ryosuke coming out of the school's main building with Fumihiro, Nobuhiko, David Crandon and Takeshi Kanzaki, "But if you'd like I'm sure we can ask Aniki and some of the other staff to do the job."

"No offense to any of you, but I'd rather have someone telling me what's going on with this many of the school's cars on the track," Tatsuo said getting nods of agreement from all of his teammates.

Keisuke nodded to the logic before calling his brother over and went over the plan with everyone there. Mikio opted to run Nika and Tatsuo's radio since he wouldn't have a teammate and also because there would be one car without a radio operator if he didn't. As the remaining drivers of the team ran towards the small locker room where they had their own racing suits, Izumi greeted the Super GT driver that was now standing next to Ryosuke.

"Kanzaki-san, it's nice to see you here," Izumi said with a polite bow, "But what brings you here this close to the championship race?"

"I came to see the place your husband and his teammates train, and I might be coming to work here next year so I figured I'd come by and talk to the owner while I could," Takeshi replied after returning the auburn haired woman's greeting.

"I see. Are you going to be running a radio for this race while you're here?" Izumi asked simply to try and make conversation while they waited for the drivers return.

"You should, at least then you'll really see what you're getting into when you come to work here," Nobuhiko said with a chuckle seeing Izumi nod excitedly since someone agreed with her in this rare occasion that she knew what she was talking about when it came to racing.

"Well, alright since you put it that way I guess I can hang around for a couple more hours, just let me go call my wife and let her know," Takeshi replied with a small chuckle at the young lady's enthusiasm.

Just as he stepped away from Pit Lane's outermost wall the four drivers returned to the pit boxes before Gavin and Tatsuo went to retrieve the toreador red FD and the Aztec gold RX-8 they'd brought to school that day. When all the cars were in place on the starting grid with Gavin, Tatsuo, Keisuke, Takumi, and the two F1 teachers behind the wheels, it finally sank in what was about to happen and anyone close by could feel the tension rise to an almost race day level.

Takeshi was talking to Gavin throughout the warmup lap about the actual layout of the course while Nobuhiko would be running Takumi and his cousin's radio while they drove the school's Supra. Ryosuke went to his brother's radio before anyone dared to stop him, leaving David Crandon to run the F1 and GP2 mechanics in the bright red FC while Fumihiro took the drivers of the two open wheel series driving the copper 350Z. Everyone checked their radios before the lights came on to start a formation lap along the school's throttle training layout.

"Okay, you know the school's rules, please don't wreck the cars and for the love of all that's holy, don't kill each other," David said on an open radio channel making the drivers laugh as they retook their positions at the start line.

When the lights turned green the FC darted from its third place on the grid right between Keisuke's yellow FD and Gavin's red one to take the early lead.

"Damn that thing's fast," Gavin said as he stuck his FD's nose to the bright red machine's rear bumper and noticed Keisuke doing the same to him.

"Don't worry about it, you've got 20 laps to get by him, he's just a mechanic; it's pure power right now," Takeshi replied as the three cars moved through the long s-turns.

Behind Keisuke in fourth, Tatsuo and Takumi were both fighting off the F1 driver who was currently last as they battled for the higher position. Takumi slid by on the inside of the long left handed u-turn before the loop using the red and white strips on the side of the track, leaving Tatsuo to fend off the F1 driver alone as they cleared the loop.

As they came into the tenth lap of the first leg, somehow the positions hadn't changed at all, Keisuke was fighting off Takumi which kept him from going after Gavin while the buzz cut blonde was attacking the FC at every possible corner and Tatsuo was doing a miraculous job of holding the F1 driver back behind him.

"Okay, time for a flying lap Gavin-kun, get on it," Takeshi said just before the 20B rotary engine in Gavin's FD screamed to its peak along the main straight.

"Tatsuo, gear up and fly man," Mikio said with a smirk as the RX-8's twin turbo engine also screamed to its peak.

Gavin and Tatsuo both closed what little gap there was between them and the cars in front of them. Gavin took the F1 mechanic by surprise by sticking the left side of his car just off the pavement and sliding by the red FC and taking the lead of the race. Tatsuo was letting the Supra drag him along until they reached the long straight before the hairpin where he slipped out from behind Takumi and flew by on the left catching Keisuke and nearly passing him before he had to brake for the hairpin forcing him to stay in fourth for the moment.

The F1 driver had finally gotten used to the copper Z and was now attacking Takumi with everything he could muster as all six cars made their way through the last three long corners of the course. Keisuke and Tatsuo were battling it out for third while the F1 mechanic was trying to get the lead back from Gavin as they crossed the finish line for the eleventh lap when out of nowhere Takumi somehow managed to pass not only Tatsuo but Keisuke as well in one swift and incredibly insane maneuver, stealing third and once again leaving Tatsuo to the F1 driver as they cleared the loop corner.

"Damn, what the hell did he do!?" Keisuke half shouted as he watched the black Supra start pulling away from him.

"Remember what Gavin-kun did with the NSX right before the season started?" Ryosuke replied calmly as he watched the cars flying around the circuit.

"Yeah, all brawn, no brakes around the loop, but the fuel system cut out on the NSX," Keisuke replied as he tried to close the gap on his fellow teacher and ex-teammate.

"Yeah, well, it didn't on the Supra," his older brother said with a tone that said he was more than impressed.

While all that was going on, nearly two full seconds ahead of the rest of the cars, the toreador red FD and the bright red FC were going at each other like there was money on the line. The F1 mechanic was weaving back and forth along the course's third straight trying to find a hole to squeeze through as the FD simply closed every one that may have opened.

"This guy putting up one hell of a fight for just a mechanic Takeshi-san," Gavin muttered as he blew through the v-turn with as little braking as humanly possible just trying to keep his opponent behind him, "Got any music you could throw on?"

"Nope, you don't need the distraction; you're coming up on the u-turn, drift it if you can so you don't give him an opening," Takeshi replied seriously as the two cars blew through the straight.

Gavin did exactly what he was told and managed to hold the FC behind him yet again as they came into the last three corners. Back in the main pack Keisuke was now so busy fighting off Tatsuo and the F1 driver that Takumi had managed to pull away from him slightly.

"Aniki, I'm in trouble," Keisuke said as the three cars came into the straight after the v-turn.

Just as the two other cars cleared the corner they both found a little extra speed and split around Keisuke's FD putting the spiky haired blonde in last place while they continued to battle each other.

"Shit this guy is tough," Tatsuo said as he managed to catch Takumi with the Z33 still firmly up his tailpipe.

"Keep your eyes on Takumi-san," Mikio's voice rang through the radio, "Just try getting past him, don't worry about the Z right now."

As they cleared the nineteenth lap, positions had changed so many times among the last four cars that no one in pit lane knew who might even come close to third place. When Gavin's FD and the school's FC came into pit lane, Reiko and the GP2 mechanic jumped into the cars and had just enough time to get back out while everyone else came to a stop in their assigned boxes. Taking advantage of the lower speed the GP2 mechanic in the FC flew out of pit lane and past Reiko stealing the lead just before the first corner.

The other cars were back on the track before the FD and FC could get to the loop corner and Nika, who came out of the boxes in third, was out to catch her sister in-law no matter what. Kyoko came out of the boxes in last place since she had to not only adjust the harness, but move the seat in Keisuke's FD forward a little to suit her smaller stature.

"Okay, who's winning?" Izumi asked climbing up the observation tower.

"Reiko and our GP2 mechanic are leading the group, Nika is pushing to catch up while Wataru, the GP2 driver and Kyoko are battling for fourth at the moment," Nobuhiko answered not taking his eyes off the cars, "Tell Natsuki-chan she can watch on the monitors in the lobby if she wants."

"She knows, but with Fumihiro-san out here running a radio she's all by herself in there," Izumi said climbing back down and going into the main building to inform Natsuki of current race status and give her a hand where needed.

As she walked back inside she heard a set of tires screeching along the pavement before an engine screamed to its peak making her look towards the track. Seeing Gavin's FD back out in front of the pack made her run back to pit lane to find out what happened.

"What happened?" she asked once she knew at least Gavin would be able to hear her.

"Reiko took the outside line and swerved in front of the FC to retake the lead," the buzz cut blonde replied sounding like he could hardly believe the aggressiveness of his wife's maneuver.

As the race went on Izumi stayed track side as much as she could, rushing back in to not only update Natsuki, but to see if the pregnant woman needed any kind of help only to rush right back out to continue watching the race. Four laps before the end the GP2 mechanic was starting to feel his previous injuries coming back to haunt him as he began fighting with the FC.

"Nika take the chance, the FC is losing speed," Mikio ordered only getting the sound of the RX-8's rotary engine revving through the gears in response.

By the end of the race the FC had fallen back to the penultimate position and was somehow able to hold Kyoko behind until they crossed the line. Reiko crossed the line in first having fended off several attacks from Nika and Wataru both. the Z33, driven by the GP2 champion, ended up in fourth place in front of his mechanic thanks to a nearly suicidal flying lap that allowed the Supra to cross the finish line in third after Nika retook the second position from him in the last corner.

"That was one hell of a race," Gavin said as all six cars made their way around the course for the last time.

"It was, but now that my brother has had his fun, we'll go back to training tomorrow," Ryosuke said with a chuckle at Keisuke's horrified expression, "You didn't think I'd figure out why you really did this Keisuke?"

Seeing Keisuke hang his head slightly caused everyone else's confusion to grow to the point not even Fumihiro could figure out what Ryosuke had been talking about.

"He wanted to see if he still had the ability to outrun you, so in order to do that he set this up as a way to give the drivers a break from the Super GT cars," the doctor said chuckling at the nervous grin on his brother's face, "Obviously he's lost a little of his aggressiveness and you've outrun him," he added directing his statement more towards Gavin and Tatsuo than anyone else.

"Alright, I've been found out, but still it was fun to try anyway," the spiky blonde haired man said with a chuckle of his own, "I'm kind of glad to see they have honestly, even though my ego doesn't like it."

Once all the cars were back where they belonged, three going to the parking lot and the other three to the storage garage, Gavin and Takeshi made plans to go to dinner with their wives sometime before the race in Fuji before everyone went home for the day, getting an actual half day off to just relax a little since the next day it would be back to business as usual for the whole team.

On Friday night a week before the team would leave for Fuji, Gavin and Reiko met Takeshi and Kumiko Kanzaki at the restaurant where they'd had their date after Gavin 'rescued' Reiko from her mother's party. Having been informed of the dress code, Takeshi showed up wearing a navy blue tuxedo with matching vest and tie while Kumiko wore a single strap navy dress with a simple black pattern that went around the base and bodice. Gavin showed up wearing his usual black tuxedo with a red vest and tie while Reiko wore a solid burgundy strapless dress and a pair of matching high heels.

"That's a beautiful dress Kumiko-san, where did you get it?" Reiko asked when the two women saw each other.

"I got it at a shop just outside Fuji Speedway last time we were down there," the older woman answered with a smile as she and her husband stood to greet their friends, "I'd love to know where you got that one you're wearing."

"My friend bought it at the shop she works in for my birthday a couple of years ago, I can give you the address if you like," the black haired young woman said with a smile.

While the two women went deeper into their conversation about different dress shops they'd been to and some of the places they'd found good prices, Gavin and Takeshi just shook their heads and started talking about the upcoming championship race while they waited for their dinner to arrive.

After dinner both couples went to the movies to watch one of the latest movies released to the public. Gavin and Takeshi were somewhat enjoying the fact that they were being recognized as drivers of the Super GT series. Reiko and Kumiko stood watching and waiting for their husbands to sign whatever the people asked them to.

"Excuse me, are you Reynolds Reiko from the Super GT?" a very young girl asked shyly as she stared up at Reiko.

"Yes I am, what can I do for you young lady?" Reiko said with an almost motherly tone as she knelt down to look the young girl in the eye causing her to giggle a bit out of excitement.

"I was wondering if you'd sign this for me," the girl said calmly as she held out a small pink autograph book with a 'Hello Kitty' theme.

"I'd be happy to," the black haired woman said taking the book from her and finding the first blank page, "What's your name little one?"

The girl gave her name and Reiko signed hers with a short message of well being before sending the young girl back to her mother with a smile two miles wide on her face. The mother simply smiled and mouthed 'thank you' before leaving the multiplex theater.

"Enjoy this while it lasts," Takeshi whispered to Gavin while he was signing an autograph for another young fan, "You mess up for my boss next season and you'll be out before you can think."

"I don't enjoy this that much Takeshi-san, but I understand the rules, Keisuke-san nearly booted me from the school for some of the stunts I pulled on the track," the buzz cut blonde said with a chuckle as he handed the paper back to the young fan.

"Hey kid, don't turn up like this ruffian, do it better than he did," Takeshi said with a chuckle. Gavin just laughed while the kid looked so confused that his mother came over and said thank you to them before going on into the movie.

"We should probably go on into our movie," Reiko said getting slightly embarrassed by her husband and Takeshi.

"Oh come on Reiko-chan, we've got nearly half an hour, we may as well let those who recognize us have some fun too," Takeshi replied with a chuckle.

"Well the crowd has thinned out dear, so why don't we go on in?" Kumiko replied with an almost sympathetic look as her husband pouted when he noticed she was right.

"They all went to their own movies is what happened," Gavin said with a chuckle as he pushed Takeshi towards the theater their movie was to be shown in.

After the movie ended the two couples found a quiet spot at Mt. Akina's lake just to stargaze for a while and enjoy the quiet before the storm.

"Listen Gavin-kun, if I get to a place I can help you win at Fuji, I'll do my best to make it happen," Takeshi said as the two men stood at one end of the dock while their wives were standing a little distance away.

"You know you stand a chance to win this thing next week, it's your home course man," Gavin said sounding genuinely worried for Kanzaki's mental health.

"I might have a shot at winning the race, but I've got no shot at the championship," the brown haired man replied, "So why not block for the team that does?"

"Because they might terminate your contract and that means bye-bye twenty four hours of Le Mans," the buzz cut blonde replied seriously, "Not to mention your offer to let me take your seat next season going out the window."

"They can't actually get rid of me, they might be able to find a driver in time but they'd never be able to train him in time for the Le Mans race, plus your seat is already locked in should you take the offer, you've got nothing to worry about there."

"Alright, but I guess we should tell Reiko about this. I'm not finishing the race in Fuji, she is."

"My teammate will do the same for her if I end up starting the race this time," Takeshi replied with a chuckle.

Just after midnight the two couples decided to make their way down the pass, Gavin putting on his best show of skills as Takeshi followed him as best as his team's CLK500 would allow. When they reached the base they went their separate ways without even stopping to say goodnight to each other.


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

On the Saturday that fell one week before the championship race at Fuji, Gavin and Reiko were with the Akina Street Kings for a night of practice in the mountains. While most of the seven full members of the team were down on the mountain Shou and Matsuda sat at the summit with the only two Mazda driving people in the team.

"Shou, I want to take the next downhill challenge that comes up," Gavin said out of nowhere shocking not only his leader but his wife as well.

"And what makes you think I'll allow that? Reiko's last race was nothing but a practice run on steroids," Shou replied with an even tone.

"I don't expect you to, unless that challenge comes from the Akagi Blue Fire team, Tatsuo more specifically," the buzz cut blonde replied honestly.

"When did he get bold enough to challenge you?" Reiko asked voicing the same question as Shou and Matsuda.

"He hasn't, yet, but he did talk about it when we were out testing Nika's S30Z on Sunday."

"When did Nika-san get an S30Z?" Matsuda asked breaking the subject.

"She doesn't have it yet, it's still in Tatsuo's possession, Gavin, Tatsuo and Mikio have been restoring it all season long. It's looking like he'll be giving it to her as a championship gift," Reiko replied sounding a little giddy at the idea.

"When will you restore a car for Reiko-chan, Gavin?" Shou asked teasingly.

"As soon as she stops wanting monster cars like the 1970 Charger Daytona and the 71 Corvette with the 454 engine," Gavin replied without flinching at the elbow Reiko put into his side.

"They're only monsters if you don't know how to drive them," his wife said pouting a bit at her husband's teasing.

"I rest my case, I have driven a 70 Charger remember? I still call it a monster," the buzz cut blonde replied seriously, "It's not that I don't trust you to drive them properly Reiko, I wouldn't trust either of them with you."

"Aww, that's so sweet," Matsuda said with a teasing tone earning himself a glare from not only Reiko but Shou and Gavin as well, "Geez, there's no sense of humor around here anymore," he added looking a little taken aback.

"So no restoration gift for Reiko unless it's something a little more local huh?" Shou asked not taking his eyes off Matsuda.

"Only if it's something with a rotary engine," Reiko replied instead.

"Oh that's right, you always were a rotary driver before the NSX," Matsuda said sounding a little more genuine than before, "That must have been a rough transition for you, from an FMR to an MR and not a rotary at that I mean."

"It wasn't that hard actually, we trained in an AW11 for almost a year before we moved up to the NSX, that made it a lot easier to figure things out," Gavin said with a chuckle, "Though I'll admit it was a little rough to go from a four hundred plus horsepower FD to a two hundred horsepower AW11 in my case."

"Didn't go fast enough for you right?" Shou asked with a slight chuckle.

Gavin simply shook his head before telling his mountain racing team leader that he and Reiko should probably get going for the night. As the pair made their way down the pass they noticed everyone moving to get out of their way as they drifted through whatever lane they needed to get by in. They had fun showing off a few parallel drifts and other fancy tricks before they made it to the base and continued home.

Meanwhile over at Akagi, it wasn't just Nika trying to pry the identity of the car Tatsuo had sitting in the bay at the school. The leader of the Blue Fires was almost to the point of throwing him in front of a moving car to get the answer out of him when Nika finally gave up and decided to make a few runs of her own down the mountain.

"So what is it really?" one of the female team members asked once Nika was gone, "I promise I'll keep it to myself Tatsuo-san," she added seeing his incredulous look.

"It's an S30Z, did a little research and found out it's what they dubbed a Z432 since it's powered by the old S20 Skyline engine," Tatsuo whispered with an excited note to his quiet tone.

Seeing his teammate's shocked face made him chuckle quietly as she backed a few steps away from him once he was done speaking.

"How did you find something like that?" she asked still sounding a little shocked at his find, "Weren't there only like four hundred of those made or something?"

"Pure chance honestly, it was a rusted beast when I saw it at a cruise in just before the season started," the black haired man answered with a smile, "I've had my moments of doubt concerning it, but it is done and just in time for the championship."

"So what will you do? Give her the keys on the podium?"

"I don't really know yet. If I could I'd take it to Fuji with us and drive it to the championship ceremony, but since I can't do that I'll probably just wait till we get back to the school after it."

"Why can't you take it to Fuji with you?"

"No room in the car haulers and Nika would notice an S30Z following the team all the way to the circuit if someone drove it down for me, even more so if I drove it down."

"And what will you do next season?"

"I don't know, we've got time to deal with that though," Tatsuo replied as he got up and climbed into his SE3P and made a few runs of his own before he and Nika headed home for the rest of the night.

Over in Usui the Sparks team was just wrapping up their own practice for the night and were all gathered at the base of the pass just to hang out for a few minutes before heading their separate ways.

"So Mikio-san, where are you going next season?" the leader of the team, a man with bright red hair and a lime green S13, asked leaning against his car.

"I've signed up with a GT300 team based pretty close to Motegi so Izumi will be able to keep her classes without having to change schools at least," the bleach blonde man replied calmly, "Hopefully I'll be able to stay with that team since Izumi wants to work at the Takahashi School."

"You'd give up racing for her wouldn't you?" the only GT-R driver in the team, the driver of the R34 from the now disbanded 3R3 team, asked sounding genuinely curious.

"I would give up racing to teach high school if she told me to," Mikio replied with a serious tone, "But I bet she'd hate herself for it, she knows what racing means to me," he added with a smile.

"Would she leave her job for you?"

"I'd like to hope she'd never have to," the blonde replied before looking at his watch, "I have to run, Izumi's asked that I be home before two this time," he added with a chuckle before jumping into his Lan-Evo VI and driving off.

Mikio took the long way home that night trying to clear his mind of the disturbing thought that he may one day have to ask Izumi to leave her classes and friends behind should he sign with a team further away from home. He'd always known that it was a possibility, but he also knew Izumi would want to spend the entirety of three days just saying good bye to her sisters and the thought of making her do that hurt, and it would be worse for him because of the promise they'd both made with Kitamura to be there when he needed them.

"What's wrong Mikio?" Izumi asked when he walked in the door, noticing almost immediately that he was looking a little out of sorts.

"Izumi, would you move to the other end of the country if I had to sign with another racing team?" he asked sounding a little more sad than curious to know.

"Of course I would, I'm your wife and your biggest cheerleader," Izumi said with a cheery tone, "Why would you even ask that?"

"I'd never thought about it before now, I know I'd go to hell and back for you, but I never thought once to ask you if you'd be willing to do the same for me," the blonde said taking his wife's hand in his, "I know that leaving your sisters would be nearly impossible for them to cope with."

"My sisters may be young, but they understand that if you go somewhere far away from here, I have to go with you, and I went through hell for you once already so don't doubt that I would do it again," the auburn haired woman said with a more serious tone as she freed her hands from Mikio's and hugged him around the neck.

Mikio couldn't help the small chuckle he let slip as he hugged his wife, remembering the hell he'd put her through before she left him. He also remembered everything she did to get back with him, going to Irohazaka to talk to Satoshi, showing up at the school to talk to him and meeting him at Irohazaka when he raced the Momiji Lightning leader. It wasn't too long after that they went to bed for what was left of the night, since Mikio wanted to take a stint in the FD the next day.

When the first students of Ryosuke's school arrived at the circuit everyone could tell something was different about Mikio and Izumi; they were both all smiles and Mikio had his arm around his wife. The blonde even volunteered for first runs in the FD and managed to set off the chain that came with someone setting any new record.

"They're on their game today," Keisuke said with a lopsided grin.

"I wonder what brought this on. It's been since just before the season started that this happened on true race settings," Nobuhiko said with a similar smile.

"Could be the fact that the season is about to end and we're in a good place to take the championship without much of a fight," Wataru said as the NSX and FD flew across the starting line right in front of them.

"I doubt it, this started with Mikio-kun, not one of the primary drivers, not to mention that he's been sitting out more often than not the last few days," Ryosuke said with a short glance at Izumi, "Something must have come up to put him in a good mood."

"There won't be any kind of telling unless someone asks," Kyoko added still writing down everything Mikio said about the FD's current settings.

Everyone went back to their own jobs, none wanting to pry into their tester's private affairs for no reason other than their own curiosity. Eventually the day was called and Ryosuke gave the whole team the next day off to give them a chance to recuperate from a week straight of hard training.

Later that night at Nika and Tatsuo's house the couple had just sat down to a dinner that Tatsuo cooked for them when his phone rang in his pocket.

"Hello?" he asked once he'd fished the device from his pocket.

"Is this Tatsuo Sasaki?" the voice at the other end of the call asked politely.

"Yes it is, who am I speaking with?" the black haired man asked in reply, his confused appearance making Nika look a little worried.

"I'm a team manager in the Super GT series, I'd like to talk to you about a race seat," the voice replied.

"Alright, I'm listening,"

"Well, we understand that you've yet to decide on who you may sign with next season, all we're asking at this point is that you meet with us and listen to the offer we've prepared, you won't be asked to sign anything when we do meet."

"Who is 'us' and 'we'?"

"The team owner and the other driver we've already signed as well as myself will be at the meeting."

"I'm sure we can come and at least listen to the offer."

"There's a restaurant just outside Maebashi, I'll send the address through text message for you. Would eight o'clock tomorrow night work for you?"

Tatsuo pulled the phone away from his ear momentarily to check with Nika about the time; she nodded that they were free since they had the day off. Tatsuo finalized everything with the man on the other end of the phone and closed the call before Nika's curiosity finally got the best of her.

"So who was that?" the brown haired woman asked taking a bite of her dinner.

"A team with an offer for me, it's a GT300 seat and they want me to at least hear out their offer," her husband replied calmly.

"I thought we had decided to take that GT500 offer that has us racing on the same team," Nika said with a confused look.

"I've been having some second thoughts about that actually," Tatsuo said with an honest tone, "Something about the idea of racing against Gavin scares me, plus they said I wouldn't be asked to sign anything, probably won't even have a contract drawn up without some kind of test."

"You're scared of racing Gavin? Why?"

"I don't know honestly; I know that when Reiko raced against him in the team's NSX that I've never seen him fight harder trying to win. Something about the fact that he was at the mercy of every disadvantage in the book and still kept up with her, and actually managed a pass or two, makes me wonder just how hard he's really pushing during some of the races this season."

"Not to mention that day before the season started when Keisuke-san told him to race you seriously, he was the only one not completely worn out," Nika added not realizing that her husband hadn't forgotten about the small bruise to his ego for not being able to reclose the gap on Gavin once that started.

"You know that Reiko and I met him while he was tutoring at our school right?" Tatsuo asked trying to get away from his somewhat irrational fear of Gavin.

"Yeah, she told me that he tutored her during the last half of your senior year, but she didn't say much more than that," the brown haired woman said sounding a little confused at the sudden change of topic.

"Well we officially met him at the school, but it turns out he was one of our first opponents in Mt. Akagi as well," Tatsuo said with a chuckle, "Leading us both by the nose, teaching us how to drive without ever getting out from behind the wheel of that FD for nearly two months and we had no idea it was him. That's why Reiko's driving style is so similar to his in the mountains."

"But during the Todo Juku race he said that Reiko was the better driver right?"

"He's said that since the day she managed to pass him in Akina. He passed her right back using the FD's power and a large dose of crazy, but she got by him using one of his own tricks and that's what makes her the better driver in his mind."

"But on the school's circuit she seems to be slower than he is."

"That's his crazy thing, he's brave enough to push close to the limit in any car, even if he's never driven it before."

"What about you? What have you driven in your years?"

"Rotary powered machines for the most part, two SE3Ps and the team's FD, you know I drove a 2000GT for a couple weeks, and that's pretty much it beyond that project Nissan at the school and your Z33," Tatsuo answered with a chuckle.

With that the conversation turned more towards what would happen if they won the championship, what offers for the next season they already had and what new ones would come. The next day was easy to just rest through until they were getting ready to go to the restaurant and meet with this new team who had an offer for Tatsuo. They spent the short ride to the restaurant talking about different things, most having nothing to do with racing in any way, shape or form.

When they arrived the valet took Tatsuo's RX-8 to a parking spot while the hostess led the pair to a table where three men waited for them as well as a young woman who looked to be about seventeen. The introductions only started after the hostess had left.

"Tatsuo Sasaki, I'd like you to meet my team's owner," the man in the middle of the group said gesturing towards the oldest man at the table, "The other driver of the team," He added gesturing to the young man next to him, "And my daughter," he said with a wide smile as he placed a hand on the young woman's shoulder.

"It's nice to meet all of you," Tatsuo said with a polite bow towards the whole table.

"I told her who I'd be meeting and she talked me into letting her come to meet your wife," the team manager said with a chuckle when his daughter's face turned beet red, "She's a pretty big fan of you and your sister in-law Sasaki-chan."

"Well I'm glad I have a fan at the table, she and I can talk about shopping while you gentlemen talk business," Nika said with a kind tone, looking more at the young lady than at her father, making the girl blush even more.

Tatsuo and the three other men quickly went to business while the manager's daughter and Nika had a rather pleasant conversation about different things once the younger woman got over her initial nerves. They ate dinner while they talked and they actually had a really generous offer and a chance for Tatsuo to drive an SE3P in the next season and really show off what he knew about the cars.

The team also offered Nika a position on the team as a test driver so she could keep her FIA license and step in where needed, which shocked both Tatsuo and Nika since they thought the offer was strictly about Tatsuo.

"The offer will stand until two weeks before the start of next season, if someone takes up the position before then we'll let you know," the team manager said as he and his daughter waited with Nika and Tatsuo for their cars.

"We'll drop by after Fuji to see your training grounds, maybe take a spin if you've got the cars by then," Tatsuo said with a chuckle.

"Just give me a call so we have someone there to let you in, you have my direct line," the manager replied with a chuckle of his own.

Tatsuo's RX-8 pulled up and the manager's daughter immediately left his side to look closer at all the little details like the two side scoops in front of the front wheels, the small fins on the rear bumper and the two vents pointed towards the windscreen at the top of the hood.

"Who designed this? It looks ready for a Super GT race," the young lady said still looking over the car.

"I did actually," Tatsuo said trying to keep the smug look off his face when the manager looked at him with wide eyed shock, "I finally got it put on when I crashed it about two years ago."

"You did a pretty good job, how does it drive?" the daughter asked still keeping her eyes on the car.

"It's a pretty fair handler on the circuit, but it was designed for the mountain pass so it does a lot better there," Tatsuo admitted cautiously.

"I think if you'd changed the angle on the spoiler by a degree or two you'd get better down force on the circuit without losing speed on the mountain pass," the young lady said shocking Tatsuo and Nika both with her knowledge.

"She grew up in the team's garage, she knows more about racing aerodynamics than our newest lead mechanic does," the manager said with a chuckle.

"I can see why, I bet she'd stand in the wind tunnel testing different angles if she could," Nika said while the young girl continued to inspect the RX-8.

"She does that when her schooling allows, but I think she has more fun with cars than I ever did," the manager admitted with a small smile, "I just hope maybe one day she'll have the chance to use all the knowledge she's gained."

"Hey, she can always work for you when she's old enough," Tatsuo said not taking his eyes off the young lady. It was pretty easy to tell he was getting a little unnerved by the fact she was taking so long with his car.

"Sweetheart, stop scrutinizing Sasaki-kun's car, we're holding up the valet line," the manager said taking mercy on the younger man, "We'll see you after Fuji I guess," he added shaking Tatsuo's hand before leaving with his daughter.

"That was uncomfortable," Tatsuo said as they climbed into the car, "I don't think she was wrong, but to be told how to set my own car by a seventeen year old is a little weird."

"Oh she didn't mean any harm, it's not like she started going into the suspension without feeling how it drove first," Nika replied as they drove out of the restaurant.

"What do you want to bet she could see the airflow over the car even though it wasn't in the wind tunnel?" the black haired man asked with an impressed tone.

"You're probably right, just like you can see the line someone will take two corners away or even adapt your style to the settings of a car like in Motegi, and Reiko can mimic nearly anyone's style," his wife said with the same tone.

"What do you mean Reiko can mimic someone's style?"

"She does it all the time during a race; whoever she's behind she starts driving like them if she's behind them for more than a lap. You never noticed that?"

"Not really, but then again the only time I'm usually close enough to see her is when we're on the practice track and she doesn't have anyone to mimic. What about you and Gavin? What talents do you have?"

"Gavin's insane, you already said that," Nika said with a giggle, "But me, I don't know, I never thought I had one specific thing that stood me apart from other drivers."

"Well, you're crazy too, taking a 350Z downhill in Myogi or Akagi is pretty nuts," Tatsuo said placing his shifting hand on his wife's, "Plus on the circuit I've noticed that you've got an extreme sense of your braking, always yanking your foot off in the perfect spot."

"That's not that impressive Tatsuo," the brown haired woman said with a somewhat cold tone.

"Well what about the way you made yourself adapt to the FD by driving Kyoko-san's FD and Gavin's FD?"

"That took me almost a month of using their cars to do. You, Reiko, Gavin and even Mikio did it faster than me and none of you had to use someone else's car."

"Nika, you're really not helping my case here," Tatsuo said trying to lift his wife's spirit, "Alright, you were the first of us to set a record on the full course layout."

"I was?" the brown haired woman asked sounding like she didn't remember that.

"You did. The day after I set that speed record in the last three corners you set the first full lap record that was worth anything," her husband replied with a smile, "Everyone was chasing you that day."

"Well it's not a talent, but it's enough for now," Nika replied with a giggle.

They spent the rest of the ride home in silence going straight to bed since the next day was the day before they left for Fuji. When everyone got to the school the truck that hauled everything for the motor home was already gone along with the car hauler for the NSX since someone from the team needed to be there to get the new spare and that truck had pretty much stayed packed since the race in Autopolis, only taking off the wrecked NSX before locking it back up. The practice started after the remaining trucks were packed and sent on their way to Fuji. It was a shortened practice since they would all need their rest for the weekend to come but Ryosuke asked them to meet him in the conference room before they left.

"Alright, this is the last race of the season, so when we get to Fuji I want everyone to be at their best. We don't need a win tomorrow with how well we've done this season, but that doesn't mean I don't expect you to try for it," Ryosuke said with a calm tone while staring at his drivers, "That said, I'm very impressed with all five of you and would be glad to send any recommendations to whatever team you should choose to sign with in the future."

A few minutes later the whole team was walking back out to the parking lot to go their separate ways when Keisuke caught up to Mikio just before they got to the school's main entrance.

"Mikio-kun, I've been meaning to ask what happened with that GT300 team I recommended you to," the spiky blonde haired man said stopping everyone.

"I've already signed a contract, it's not valid till three weeks after the current season ends, but I've got a seat next year thanks to you and Tatsuo-san," Mikio replied with an excited tone with a hint of confusion in it, "Didn't they call and tell you?"

"No, I guess they expected you to tell me yourself," Keisuke said with a chuckle before making his way out of the building.

"What did I have to do with you getting that seat Mikio?" Tatsuo asked not having any idea what the bleach blonde man was talking about.

"You gave up your seat for Sugo and Suzuka for the scout to see me drive in a race didn't you?" Mikio asked sounding completely confused now.

"I gave up my seat because my arm hurt too much to drive for those two races," the black haired man replied spotting Ryosuke's disapproving look right after he said it, "I went to the doctor after Sugo because my arm still hurt, and with Suzuka so close at hand I knew I wouldn't be ready for it."

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Ryosuke asked calmly, "And what did the doctor say?"

"I didn't say anything at first because I just thought it was just all that rain we got around then that was making it hurt. The doctor said that it was only a minor fissure near one of the screws; if I just took it easy for a couple weeks it would be fine in time for the next race," Tatsuo said rubbing his right forearm a little.

"Has it bothered you since then at all?" the brown haired doctor asked still not seeming very upset by the whole thing.

"No Sir, I had a doctor's appointment about a week ago and everything has healed up since then," Tatsuo replied with a little more confidence in his tone.

"If any of you have a medical problem you're supposed to tell me about it since I'm the team's physician," Ryosuke said addressing all of the drivers.

"We understand Ryosuke-san, if we ever have any we will," Gavin said on behalf of his teammates.

The next day the team met up at the school rather early in the morning for such a short drive. Ryosuke used the extra time to give the drivers one last physical before they left for Fuji International Speedway for the last race weekend of the season.


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

When the team arrived at Fuji International Speedway it was around lunchtime on the day before the first official practices and a few teams had already arrived but no one was on the track. Ryosuke left the team to set up to go talk to the track officials about their entry into the race and about getting a little time on the track to set up the new spare car, currently sitting quietly in the back of the car hauler. When he came back Gavin started his five allotted laps hoping the spare wouldn't be needed for the race.

About a half an hour later, while Reiko was coming down Pit Lane to park the spare NSX for the rest of the day, Dr. Yuki Nakahara walked into the team's garage area.

"Dr. Nakahara, what brings you all the way out to Fuji today?" Ryosuke asked sounding extremely professional since he hadn't been expecting her.

"I came because you invited me Ryosuke," the black haired doctor replied playfully.

"Who's this?" Fumihiro asked when he noticed the woman, inadvertently bringing the whole staff's attention to her.

"This is Dr. Yuki Nakahara; she's a colleague of mine at the clinic in Takasaki," Ryosuke replied before Yuki could.

"I'm also his girlfriend," the lady doctor replied with a wide smile, giggling slightly when the whole team seemed to let their jaws hit the floor in surprise.

"So, how long have you been dating my brother?" Keisuke asked when he regained his ability to speak. To Ryosuke his little brother sounded really confused and just a little upset.

"Not long really, two weeks at the most," Yuki said sounding a little embarrassed, "We've only been on one real date so far."

Keisuke was still trying to figure everything out when Kyoko decided to break the awkward silence.

"Well I'm Keisuke's wife Kyoko, it's nice to meet you," the dirty blonde said with a sweet smile as she held her hand out, "I'd introduce the rest of the team but that could get a little confusing so I'll let them take care of that."

While the team started to introduce themselves to the black haired doctor, Keisuke took the chance and pulled his brother out of the garage.

"So you got a girl huh?" the spiky blonde haired man said with a slightly joking tone having stopped being any kind of upset long before.

"So it would seem," Ryosuke replied seriously, "Keisuke, I'm sorry I didn't tell you but..."

"Don't worry about it Aniki, some things need a little time to see where they land," Keisuke interrupted with a genuine smile.

"Like the two years it took to see where you and Kyoko-chan would land?" the doctor said with a quiet chuckle as his brother pouted like a five year old.

The two walked back into the garage noticing that Kyoko and Natsuki had immediately taken a shine to the lady doctor. Shaking his head Keisuke went back to working on getting things set up without a word while Ryosuke decided to break up the three women so at least Kyoko could go back to doing her job for the team.

"So why did you come out here this early?" Ryosuke asked once he and his girlfriend were alone.

"I swapped shifts at the clinic so I could come out early. After two hours on the road sitting in my hotel room for what was left of the day didn't appeal to me so after I checked in and got everything settled I came here," Yuki replied with a little shrug, "I hope you don't mind me distracting your team like I did."

"Today was probably the best day to tell them I guess," Ryosuke replied seriously, "But next time you feel like telling someone, would you mind giving ME a heads up?" he added with a slight chuckle.

"Of course I will," Yuki said hugging him around the chest making him blush slightly.

"Umm, Ryosuke, we need you in the paddock, one of the circuit officials wants to talk to the whole team," Fumihiro said not looking towards the two as if to not interrupt anything, "Just something about the track getting patched for the rest of today."

"I'll be there in a moment," Ryosuke replied as his black haired friend of more years than he cared to count turned and walked back into the garage area.

Later in the day more teams were starting to pull in and there were several journalists going in and out of the paddock looking for interviews with whatever drivers and team managers were around. Reiko saw her in-laws walking towards the paddock with a circuit official and two young girls running around them.

"Gavin your parents are here," the curly black haired woman said nudging her husband's foot since he was under the NSX.

Her husband immediately slid out from under the car and stared in the direction his wife was. When he saw the two little girls running circles around his parents he knew his friend and her husband wouldn't be too far away, and then he spotted Jessica's fire red hair just behind his father. When the two girls spotted him they immediately left the group of five adults screaming 'Uncle Gavin' at the top of their lungs as they ran towards him. The buzz cut blonde immediately went down and scooped both girls up into one big hug.

Ryosuke cleared his throat, making the driver put the two girls down and let them hold his hands as he turned to face his boss.

"Mr. Reynolds, I believe you've got some introducing to do," the doctor said gesturing to the whole team and Yuki, whose complete attention seemed to be on the buzz cut blonde.

"I'm sorry Sir, these are my daughters," a tall red headed woman said having finally gotten to the garage.

"It's alright, we're not really working yet," Ryosuke replied with a slight chuckle, "But who are you?"

"She's my older sister Ryosuke-san," Gavin replied without missing a step, making Tatsuo and Nika's attention snap to the red haired woman, "Her name is Jessica Samford, she came for the race on Sunday."

"We decided to see what you guys did the day before practice," Gavin's father, Steven Reynolds, said with a serious tone, "Thought maybe you'd allow us to join you for dinner tonight."

"I was planning on a team dinner tonight so I guess it would be alright," Ryosuke replied with a slight nod before the two girls at Gavin's side shouted triumphantly making the whole team laugh.

As the team locked everything up for the night Gavin and Reiko were talking with his parents and Jessica while her husband tried to catch their two very energetic daughters. Nika came over to the group alone while Tatsuo was listening to Kyoko going over the mechanic team's schedule for the next day.

"So, Gavin, why don't you officially introduce me to your sister?" the brown haired woman said with a chuckle while she looked at Jessica.

"You must be Reiko's sister in-law…Nika right?" Jessica asked in English making Nika blink in confusion before her brain kicked into English mode and translated the question for her.

"Yes, me and her brother have been married just over a month," she replied in perfect Gavin taught English, "Gavin never mentioned having a sister though, I'm a little hurt he hasn't let me meet you until now."

"That's because she doesn't live in Japan Nika-chan," Helen replied with a motherly smile, "Otherwise she might have met you before now."

"How much older are you than Gavin?" the brown haired woman asked the red headed woman forgetting her manners in her confusion.

"I'm only a year older, but my parents didn't move here, his did," Jessica answered with a quite giggle at the confusion that grew on Nika's face.

After a few minutes of leaving his wife's sister in-law to steam at the ears as she tried to figure out the relationship tree, Gavin finally took pity on Nika and explained the relationship he shared with Jessica since they were in elementary school. When the rest of the team joined them Gavin helped corral his nieces back into their parents' rental before following Ryosuke out of the circuit in his own FD with Reiko beside him.

They had a pretty quiet dinner, mostly talking about the upcoming race and some of the things that had happened since the last time anyone saw Gavin's parents. Yuki talked mostly with Natsuki, Izumi and Kyoko, the three women having gone a little out of their way to make her feel as if she were already part of the team. The two little girls settled down only once they had food in front of them, making it very clear they'd slept most of the flight from the States and probably the whole car ride to the circuit.

The next day Gavin was first on the track for the Super GT practice session. His good mood that morning seemed contagious and everyone was working at their best even though it wasn't even qualifying day. When the buzz cut blonde came off the track he went through the details and warned his wife of a few slick spots before Reiko took to the track. While he walked back to the team's motor home he noticed Takeshi Kanzaki walking towards him with one of the friendlier journalists that Gavin knew about.

"Takeshi-san, what brings you here today?" the blonde said with a joking tone before noticing the older man's serious expression.

"Reynolds-san, is it true that Kanzaki-san has offered his race seat to you for next season?" the reporter asked sticking his microphone between the two men.

"Yes it's true, but how did you find out? We decided not to tell anyone," Gavin replied looking more confused at the reporter than angry at Takeshi.

"One of my mechanics let it slip out, I'm sorry Gavin-kun," Takeshi replied somberly.

"Hey, it's okay, it's not like they wouldn't find out when I signed the contract if I take you up on it Takeshi-san," the buzz cut blonde said with a smile.

"While I have both of you here, can I ask a few questions about this offer Kanzaki-san put up?" the reporter asked.

"Basically all that was said is that I have the ability to choose the driver that would replace me and that I'd like it to be him," Takeshi replied calmly.

"And so far all I've said is I'll think about it," Gavin added with a smirk, "I'd rather concentrate on the offers I have after the championship."

"That's probably the best idea Reynolds-san," the reporter said with a chuckle.

"Now if you'll both excuse me I need to change," the buzz cut blonde had only taken two steps away from the reporter and Takeshi before he turned back and added, "Takeshi-san, let's have fun on Sunday."

"Absolutely," the brown haired man replied with an almost evil look and a low chuckle.

As the day went on more and more journalists bugged both Takeshi and Gavin about the possibility of the blonde taking the older man's seat next season. After practice Fumihiro and Ryosuke decided to lock everything up and get the drivers out of the circuit to get away from the press for an hour since they'd started to bug Tatsuo and Nika about the idea.

"I can't believe some of the journalists at this race," Izumi said as the team ate dinner together in one of the private rooms of the restaurant they'd chosen.

"They are kinda nosy," Yuki agreed from her place next to Ryosuke, "I mean what business do they have asking what offers a driver has for next season?"

"It is their job Nakahara-san," Fumihiro said with a calm tone, "If they find something to go with, they're supposed to make sure their magazine or newspaper prints it first. Generally they make sure it's true first but today they don't seem to care."

"This may get worse before the race, I want you on your toes tomorrow Fumihiro. Try not to let anyone in the paddock or into the pit box, we'll have our statement ready by then," Ryosuke said drawing attention to him, "Gavin-kun, you should be ready to make your own statement."

"Ryosuke-san, what they're asking about is true, he did offer me his race seat for next season," the buzz cut blonde said with a confused glance to his boss, "Why should it matter what I say about it being true?"

"They'll likely ask how long ago he offered, or why he offered the seat to you instead of someone else, you need to be ready to answer those kinds of questions," Tatsuo answered, getting a nod of agreement from Ryosuke.

"He offered after the race in Motegi, he offered it to me because he also wanted Reiko and I on his team in the twenty four hour race at Le Mans," Gavin said with a shrug, "I don't get what the big deal is, Takeshi-san was offered his seat by another driver they didn't make a big deal out of that."

"You're on the rookie team this season and a five year veteran has offered you his race seat, that's pretty spectacular Gavin," Nika said with a serious tone, "Kanzaki-san was already racing for two years when he got offered the seat he's been in for the last three years."

"Still, it's not like he just offered out of hand or as a joke. He's raced against me several times this season, he knows what Reiko and I both are capable of, why should it matter that I'm just a rookie?"

"Gavin you really don't get it do you?" Reiko asked looking at her husband who just shook his head, "He offered you his race seat because unlike some other driver he saw you as the best rival on the track to take his seat from him."

"Okay first, I still don't see the big deal, on or off the track he's a friend who doesn't see any of us as a rival but a distant target," Gavin said pulling everyone at the table's attention to him, "Secondly if he saw me as a rival, why would he offer to help you win the championship if he could?"

"He did what?" Keisuke asked seriously, "Oh his team is going to hate that idea."

"They won't find out unless it becomes blatantly obvious he's playing blocker for her instead of trying to pass," Gavin said with a serious tone, "He's got the skill to make that happen so I'm not too worried about his team, I'm wondering what the federation might do if they find out."

"There really isn't anything they can do should a driver decide to go against his team's orders," Takumi said finally joining the conversation.

When they arrived back at the circuit the drivers immediately hit the rack, locking their bedroom doors as well as the motor home door to be sure no one could get at them before morning. Before the Super GT qualifying session Reiko and Tatsuo's parents, Hikaru and Sakura Sasaki, came to the paddock to have a little chat before Reiko and Tatsuo took to the cars.

"Reiko, I want to talk to you in private," Sakura said to her daughter with a head nod to the motor home's door.

They walked out of the team's garage to the motor home, Reiko bypassing her husband with a quick shrug at his confused look as the two women entered the motor home. Sakura continued to one of the bedrooms and allowed her daughter in before closing the door behind them both.

"Reiko, are you happy with your life right now?" the older woman asked point blank once they were both seated on the bed.

"What would make you think I'm not?" Reiko replied sounding both surprised and confused at her mother's question, "Is this about all the attention from the press the last couple days?"

"Some of it is, but I want to know if you're going to be happy if you have to give up an offer because of Gavin."

"Mom, I'm going to be honest and I don't want you to tell anyone okay?" the black haired young woman replied getting a nod from her mother, "I'm taking a tester's seat next to him next season no matter what offer he takes; I'll still get to drive and with a little luck I could have a seat again."

"But you'd rather have to cheer him on from the stands than have to drive against him," Sakura finished getting a nod from her daughter, "You know the chances of you getting your seat back are kinda slim right?"

"I know Mom, and Nika has the same problem, we've both been talking about it, and honestly I think that's helped me get over that fear of not driving a racing car after this season," Reiko said just before her mother yanked her into a hug.

"I'm so proud of you honey, you're just as strong as your father when he was your age," Sakura said continuing to hold her daughter close, "And just as beautiful as me when I was younger."

"You're still beautiful Mom; Dad has said so more times than I can count," the black haired woman replied quietly into her mother's ear, "Now let's go back out there before both our husbands send a search party to find us," she added with a giggle.

"Before we do go, what if Gavin were to give up an offer for you?" Sakura asked before her daughter could get out of the room.

"Mom, I'll be blunt, I'd give up my RX-8 before I'd let him do that," Reiko replied seriously, "Racing means so much more to him because Gavin's not only getting his dream but the dream his grandfather didn't have time to fulfill before his military career took over."

"And it's not that big a dream for you?" the aging woman asked not believing her.

"It was, for a while I guess, but when I saw my Gavin take the podium at Okayama he did something; he pulled his grandfather's dog tags out and let them hang out in the open, which is something he's done at every podium ceremony that we've had since. His grandfather never got to race as a professional so Gavin does that so his grandfather can see it with him."

"Ryosuke-kun lets him race with the dog tags?"

"Gavin hasn't taken those dog tags off since the season started," Reiko giggled at her mother's shocked face, "Ryosuke-san knows the risk but they're so pinned down by his racing suit even when he hit the wall at Autopolis they didn't move."

The two women left the motor home still talking about some of the things that had been on Sakura's mind since Gavin and Reiko's wedding three weeks before the season started. Gavin was out on the course for his final lap when the two women rejoined the rest of the team in the pit box.

"Reiko-chan you need to get ready," Ryosuke said pointing to Gavin's NSX on the screen.

Reiko nodded just as Wataru came up to her with her helmet, gloves, balaclava and HANS device. Nika took the helmet and gloves while Reiko pulled her hair into a ponytail and put on her fireproof balaclava and pulled her racing suit the rest of the way on. Gavin was just pulling into Pit Lane when Reiko's helmet was being hooked to the HANS device. Seeing her 'girly girl' daughter dressed the way she was made Sakura very emotional; Hikaru just took his wife by the hand and led her out of the pit box.

"Okay Reiko, you know what to do, kick some ass babe," Gavin said headbutting his wife's helmet before he closed the door on the car.

"You got it sweetheart," Reiko muttered before pulling out of the pit box and driving out onto the circuit.

By the end of the qualifying session Reiko and Gavin held third place on the starting grid for GT500, while Tatsuo and Nika held the fourth place spot in the GT300 grid. Tatsuo and Reiko were met back in the pit box by their brother Raiden and his wife for a little chat about how proud Raiden was of his brother and sister for making their dreams come true.

"Ryosuke-san, I'd like to have a word with you before I go, if you don't mind," Raiden said with a polite tone as the oldest of the Takahashi brothers walked by.

"What is it about? I've got a manager's meeting to attend in about an hour," the doctor replied with the same polite tone.

"I'd like to offer up any sponsorship you might need for future teams coming out of your school, just as a way to thank you for helping my brother and sister," the oldest Sasaki said shocking everyone within hearing range.

"I can't see any teams coming out of the school in the near future, but you're welcome to sponsor the school itself if you like," Ryosuke said with a smile, only getting a smile and a nod in return before Raiden turned back to the conversation he was having with the drivers of the team.

Race day morning was met with a lot of craziness in the paddock; a thunderstorm was currently dumping insane amounts of rain on the track, the mechanics were pissed and the warmup lap had been delayed to see if it would lighten up. Reiko and Gavin were going over the rain settings for the NSX with Wataru and a little strategy with Ryosuke while they waited for the new start time.

"Nika-chan, someone to see you," one of the mechanics' voices rang through both garage areas making Gavin and Reiko look to their teammates.

"I'm surprised to see you at one of my races," Nika said rather coldly to the woman, who Tatsuo recognized as her step mother, standing in the garage entrance.

"Nika, I wanted to talk to you before the race," the woman replied sounding a little hurt by Nika's reaction.

"Nika-chan, you've got another ten minutes before the warm-up start, with the way it's coming down they might just delay it again," Kyoko said just trying to get everyone in the garage back to work.

Nika nodded and walked out of the garage towards the motor home with a not so comfortable look on her face, the woman following close behind. Tatsuo followed a couple steps later to be sure that his wife didn't get too upset before the race.

"Nika I wanted you to know, that despite our relationship being so bad, I am proud that you made your dreams come true," the black haired woman said quietly once they were all in the motor home.

"Why would you be proud of me? You did everything you could to get me out of the way so you'd have my father all to yourself," Nika replied coldly, "You pretty well succeeded at driving a wedge between us as it stands just so you know."

"I know, I've been horrible, I tried to make you into someone you weren't and I can see why I failed, you were raised by two men for two years of your life," the woman said with a slight chuckle before continuing, "Look, I want to do things better from now on."

"You're too late to the game lady, you should have tried from the start, then maybe I'd be a little more willing to believe what you have to say," Nika said before leaving the motor home.

Tatsuo was standing by the door but didn't try to stop his wife as she left, he just stared at the older woman with a rather disconnected appearance. Nika's step mother just stood there as if she were in shock for a few seconds before making eye contact with the black haired man by the door.

"Shouldn't you have stopped her or something?" she asked callously as she readied herself to leave.

"Nope, she's got a race to think about starting, if getting away from you helps her concentrate on that, then that's all good by me," Tatsuo replied with an even tone.

"I guess my husband was right then, you would stick by her no matter what decision she's made."

"Not every decision she's made, but then again I don't particularly like the picture she painted of you and by my account of things, you've got no right to ask for forgiveness from her, so this one I will stand by her."

"You've got half the picture, the side of a distraught teenage girl; do you really think that account is a good representation of me?"

"No but the fact you answered the door with 'what are you doing here?' in a shocked state and 'do you always have to be such a brat?' pretty well does Mahara-san," Tatsuo answered rather coldly, "I don't know about you but that's not the best way to greet your step-daughter's boyfriend or make a first impression on him."

"Okay, I'll admit you took me by surprise that day," the woman said with a sad tone.

"And then not showing up at her début race with her father, not showing up at either of the races at Motegi, then not even showing up to her wedding on your husband's arm, which personally I'm not sure how you managed that with Toshiyuki-san being as traditional as he is," the black haired man continued as though she hadn't said anything, "Mahara-san, you've done nothing to gain her trust in the five or six years you've been married to her father, and you've not said two words to me before today, so I think you're pretty well shit out of luck to put things mildly."

Tatsuo turned and left the motor home and returned to the garage to find out his wife was in the FD that currently sat in the pit box to wait out the rest of the delay. He smirked and shook his head before going out to the radio tower to talk to his wife that way.

"Nika, I know you've got your radio in, I just wanted to tell you that your step-mom probably isn't going to stay for the race," the black haired man said staring down at the top of the FD.

"Good, maybe now she'll just leave all together and I can get my father back," Nika replied with a strained voice, making Tatsuo jump off the tower and into the space where the passenger seat of the FD would have been.

"Nika, what's wrong?" he asked once he was in the car completely.

"It's nothing, I'll be fine in a minute or two, I just can't believe after everything she's done she'd have the fucked up idea of showing up alone," the brown haired woman said, her voice now muffled by the helmet she wore, "Tatsuo you need to go, they're starting the race."

Tatsuo climbed out of the car after kissing his wife's gloved hand and hurried back up to the observation tower where it was dry. Keisuke, Takumi, Kyoko and Wataru were all up there while the families of the team were up in the private box David Crandon had reserved on behalf of the team.

"Keisuke-san, I need to talk to Tatsuo," Gavin's voice rang through the empty headset Ryosuke usually used.

"I'm here Gavin, what's up?" Tatsuo answered before anyone had to tell him what to do.

"How's Nika doing?" the buzz cut blonde asked as the NSX moved onto the course.

"She'll be fine, just a little shaken up by her step-mom's appearance," the black haired man said with a light chuckle, "You're set right?"

"Oh yeah, got some good stuff picked out, I'll be leading this thing before you know it," his brother in-law replied sounding a little arrogant.

"Tatsuo-kun, exactly what is it he's got picked out?" Kyoko asked after the FD driver had taken off the headset.

"Music," the young man replied before climbing down off the tower and going back to the garage area.

Once the warmup lap was done the rain seemed to completely stop out of nowhere and just as the lights turned green for the race to start Keisuke could have sworn he heard Gavin singing though the radio.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

During the first five laps of the championship race in Fuji, Gavin did everything short of making the Takahashi Racing Team's NSX fly off the track as he made his way into the lead position. Once he got there Takeshi Kanzaki's racing partner in the blue SC430 got into second and started pushing Gavin to go faster to help him maintain the lead, but still feigned attacks once in a while to make it look like he wanted the lead spot.

Back in the GT300 pack Nika had some very surprising, yet very welcome, help from a GT-R that started in fifth. The red and white machine was obviously acting as a shield that moved up a position each time Nika did but never made a move to attack the FD as she moved towards the lead.

Over in the private box that David's company had paid for, David Crandon, Raiden Sasaki and the GP2 driving instructor from the school had started talking about the possibility of the Takahashi Racing SchoolTeam putting a GP2 team in the grid someday.

"I wouldn't mind being a team manager if Takahashi-san said we were going to. Hell I'd love to get back into the racing world as more than a teacher," the driver said with a chuckle.

"GP2 is pretty expensive, not to mention it's an international racing scene, I don't think Takahashi-san wants to put that much money into something like that anytime soon," Raiden replied with a more logical tone.

"Ryosuke-san will probably make that call when faced with the first class at the end of a couple years' training like he did with this team," David said with a small smirk, "I wouldn't be surprised if he has you recruit the drivers like he had Keisuke and Takumi."

"Where would we go? Leagues like Formula Renault or F3 where most of the drivers are just starting their professional careers?" the GP2 driver asked with a joking tone.

"Well I doubt he'd want mountain racers with no seat time in an open wheeler," Raiden said putting a real stop to the short joke.

"I don't doubt that given enough time Ryosuke-san could put together a team for GP2, if he wanted to that is," David said with a chuckle, "I mean seriously, he's got two Super GT championship teams in just over two years of training."

"That had a lot to do with the talent at the wheel Crandon-kun," Hikaru Sasaki said with a proud tone from his place on the couch.

"That's true, I can honestly say that Keisuke-san and Takumi-san managed to recruit the absolute best of the mountains for this," the GP2 driver said with a chuckle, "I had too much fun driving in that little race we had at the school last week, just watching all of them was a blast."

"Well as far as that GP2 team, I've already told Ryosuke that all he has to do is call, I'll help sponsor it," Raiden said with a chuckle at his father's shocked face, "What? It's good publicity," he added looking Hikaru in the eye.

"It may be good publicity, but how can you be sure it's a risk worth taking with all that money?" the older man replied without missing a step.

"Because according to Crandon-san, even with the fact that his company has paid for had every racing car the school owns built, the sponsorship is well paid off in profits for his company despite the fact they're only on the car's quarter panels," Raiden replied with a triumphant smirk.

"It's true Sasaki-san, I even got a very unexpected raise thanks to this team," David admitted, "Plus most of the lower employees back home are getting bigger Christmas bonuses and raises of their own this year."

"And even if the GP2 team is half as good as this one has been, they stand one hell of a chance in the championship of their year," the GP2 driver added with a chuckle, "With me and my mechanic as their teachers they'll be just as good or better than this team."

The older man stared at the three younger men for a few moments before he just shrugged and went back to watching the race where his daughter in-law had finally made it to the lead and her GT-R shield had started to allow the gap to open while he blocked everyone else. Down in the pit box Yuki was atop the observation tower with Izumi watching the race on the monitors.

"Taniguchi-chan, is there some reason that the GT-R is letting Sasaki-chan get so far away?" the lady doctor asked pointing to the car on the monitor.

"I don't really know, Nika-san and Tatsuo-san don't really socialize with other GT300 teams like Gavin-san and Reiko-san do," Izumi replied with a shrug, "All I can say for sure is his team manager is probably very angry with him right now."

"That's an understatement, Izumi-chan," Kyoko said taking her attention away from the telemetry coming from the FD, "That team will take second place in the championship if they win this race, so he should be all over her but instead he's holding second."

"Why would he do that? He could be fired for doing that," the auburn haired woman said sounding a little concerned.

"He better have a hell of a reason that's all I can say for him right now," the dirty blonde replied with a shrug before turning her attention back to the telemetry screen for the FD.

"So if he's disobeying orders, what do you think his teammate will do?" Yuki asked looking at Izumi, who at the moment looked excited to see Nika take the lead of the GT300 category.

"I don't really know, this completely blindsided us so I can't imagine what his team manager is screaming into that driver's ear right now," the auburn haired woman replied sounding very much like Kyoko had.

As the race went on Gavin and the blue SC430 that belonged to Takeshi Kanzaki's team were almost a full two seconds ahead of the pack. Nika and her shield had moved away from the GT300 pack as well but the red and white GT-R still refused to get any closer than it was and it was driving Nika's instincts nutswild.

"Takumi-san, I don't know why but I don't think he's going to attack me at all," the brown haired woman said looking in the rear view mirror of the FD.

"Keep your guard up, he's likely to be playing a mind game to make it easier," Takumi's voice replied through her radio.

Nika steeled herself against the wheel and started into the braking point of the tenth corner. She flew through the tight right handed Dunlop corner as fast as the FD would carry her, letting momentum carry her through the following left hander. She could just make out Gavin's NSX heading through the fourteenth corner as she cleared the twelfth, so she decided to do what she'd done in Suzuka in her debut race when she reached the sixteenth corner. The FD's engine screamed as she began to chase the impossible target through the long front straight.

"Gavin-kun, Nika-chan is chasing you again," Keisuke's voice rang in his left ear while the music he had in his right continued to play.

"Rodger that, you want me to lay on it?" the buzz cut blonde asked while checking his rear view mirror.

"No, stay at the pace you're on till you come in, you should be able to pit and get Reiko in the car and back out without losing a position," the spiky blonde haired man replied seriously.

Gavin returned to his muttered singing as he made his way through the last few laps of his season as he continued to open the gap a tiny bit at a time. Nika made the absolute best of her last few laps of the season to not only catch, but pass several of the GT500 cars that stood between her and the overall lead spot. When the two cars came into the pits their shield cars came in right behind them well ahead of their respective packs.

Reiko and Takeshi Kanzaki were well on their way out of pit lane when their opponents got into their boxes. Coming out of pit lane Takeshi and his blue SC430 dove to the inner most line of the first corner and drove ahead of the Takahashi Racing Team's NSX taking the lead for the first time in the race, making Gavin fume a bit while he stood just outside of the pit box itself.

On the course Reiko was so pissed she didn't realize that this was Takeshi's way of helping her. The brown haired man had noticed the woman's ability to mimic what the driver ahead of her was doing. He stuck the SC430 to the very best lines and drove the car for everything it had as they made their way through the third and fourth corners at nearly suicidal speeds causing the gap over the field to increase incredibly fast.

"Reiko, he's going to let you by so be ready," Gavin's voice rang through her radio as the two cars cleared the left handed hairpin that was Fuji's sixth corner.

"I figured as much, now husband or not shut up," Reiko said with a hint of fear in her tone as the two cars moved as one through the next three long open corners.

It took three laps for Takeshi to find a good spot for Reiko to slip by without looking suspicious to his own team. When they reached the sixth corner he let the SC430 slide off its line at just the right moment for Reiko to fly by on the inside. Once Reiko was in the lead her pace slowed slightly and her lines got a little rougher as she regained her ability to think straight while she came down from the adrenaline that had built up in her system.

"Okay Reiko, you've got the lead, Takeshi won't take the lead back but he'll probably start feigning attacks so make it look pretty for his sake," Gavin chuckled from his new place as his wife's radio man as the NSX and the SC430 continued on their way.

"Yeah, any warnings would be nice just so you know," Reiko's voice replied calmly.

A few laps after Reiko took the lead, Takeshi started to notice that the NSX's lines were getting worse as the race went on. Gavin could see it on his monitor as well and he was wondering what Takeshi would do to help out an already very tired Reiko. To both the buzz cut blonde and his wife's surprise, the SC430 used its first 'failed attack' to correct Reiko's line before slipping back in behind her and pushing her up to a better speed.

"He's got more skill than I thought," Keisuke muttered as he watched on the monitor.

"What did he do exactly?" Izumi asked just as the second of Takeshi's 'attacks' corrected another mistake Reiko had made in her lines.

"Kanzaki-kun is using Reiko-chan's instinct to avoid a crash to push her into a proper racing line," Ryosuke answered calmly, "It's a skill one has to practice a great deal in order to master, even more to make it look like a failed attack like this."

"Isn't that insanely dangerous? I mean what if Reiko doesn't fall for it? He could actually hit her right?" Mikio's wife asked with a slightly panicky tone as her eyes went from the monitor to the men and then to the track.

"She'll be fine, she's already figured it out for herself," Gavin said pointing out the fact that the tenth, eleventh and twelfth corners went without a correction from Takeshi, "Now that she's leveled out from the adrenaline rush from those three flying laps she's able to think again."

"Keep your eyes on your wife Gavin-san!" the auburn haired woman shouted making everyone laugh.

"I can multitask," the buzz cut blonde replied with a chuckle before he turned back to the monitors.

About ten laps into the second half of the race, Tatsuo had not only lost the human shield that Nika had, but he had been under near constant attack from the red and white GT-R since it hahe'd made itshis way back into second place three laps before. At every possible moment the GT-R would find some way to either level with or at least attempt to pass the FD. While flying through the fifth and sixth corners Tatsuo had managed to open enough of a gap to breathe easy through the three long open corners that followed the hairpin. When he reached the tenth corner the GT-R closed the gap and while attempting to pass slid off the best line allowing Tatsuo to keep his lead for the moment. Going into the eleventh corner Tatsuo made the slightest mistake because of a puddle that somehow managed to stay on the track throughout the whole race. The GT-R and the FD flew into the twelfth corner side by side; the GT-R's driver chickened out at the last millisecond and Tatsuo regained the lead.

"Geez seven corners and three near passes, he's got to be wearing out by now right?" Tatsuo asked himself as the two cars came into the main straight after two more failed attempts at a pass.

Up in the private box everyone's parents were on their feet as the NSX and the SC430 battled it out in GT500, not one of them knowing about the arrangement between the four drivers of the two cars, and the FD and the GT-R battled it out in GT300. Gavin's mother had nearly lost her voice while cheering for her son in the first half of the race and Raiden's wife had been nearly as enthusiastic as she had been so they were off in a corner talking quietly among themselves when Helen noticed Nika's step mother sitting well away from her husband who was currently cheering for his son in-law.

"Mahara-san, aren't you going to cheer for Nika-chan's team?" the graying blonde woman asked with a kind tone.

"Nope, I'm not even sure why I came right now to be honest," the woman replied sounding a little sad.

"I thought you came to cheer her on in her last race of the season," Helen said with a chuckle as she sat next to Nika's step mother.

"Look, I came here to talk to her, she wanted nothing to do with me so I guess I should have just left, but for some reason I can't make myself get up and leave."

"Because you do actually care about what happens to her, despite how you came into her life."

"You know about all that then?"

"I know that you married her father just after she turned sixteen, that's what I know, both your husband and my son have been rather tight lipped about Nika."

"Then you didn't hear about the fact that the reason Nika moved out was because she bought her car when she got her license and I flipped out for two days straight so she locked her bedroom door to get away from me, I shouted even more at her before she screamed she was leaving and not coming back." Nika's step-mother said with a regret filled tone, "I don't know how I'm going to fix this but it's really hurting Toshiyuki even though it doesn't show."

"Your husband still talks to his daughter so I'm guessing that you mean that he doesn't actually get to see her as often as he'd like," Helen replied calmly.

"No he sees her every weekend and a few times a week, but never with me around. Nika just doesn't care to try and fix a relationship that never existed to her."

"Give it some time, she may come around yet," the graying blonde replied before standing up and leaving the other woman to her own devices.

The race was coming into its last lap and Reiko was leaving Takeshi behind a bit at each corner having modified her lines to be just a little better than the ones he'd guided her to before. The NSX was nearly flying as she maneuvered through each corner at the fastest possible speed to be safe. Gavin had long turned the radio back over to Keisuke who was guiding her every move through the last lap.

Tatsuo had finally managed to shake the GT-R off his tail about halfway through his stint and was now chasing down and passing a few of the GT500 cars that had come across his path just to have a little fun. The FD came into the straight for its last lap of the season at near record breaking speeds. The GT-R was still within a second of the FD but the gap would have made attacking in a corner suicide and impossible in the straights.

The NSX crossed the finish line with half a car between its back bumper and the SC430's front bumper, but the gap between it and the car in third was nearly three seconds. The FD came across the finish line with a five second gap over a black Toyota Supra that had managed to steal second in the last corner, putting the GT-R into third and well away from the championship standings.

"Gavin-kun, Nika-chan, get ready to meet the press with your teammates, Tatsuo-kun and Reiko-chan will go straight to victory lane in the cars," Ryosuke said holding the talk button on his radio to be sure the two current drivers heard him.

As Gavin and Tatsuo ran towards victory lane, Kumiko Kanzaki and the second driver of the SC430 met them halfway there and they walked the rest of the way together. Keisuke and Takumi had the two halves of the team start packing everything they could since the cars wouldn't be back in the paddock until either way late that night or early the next morning.

After the podium ceremony and the championship trophies were presented to both Takahashi Racing teams, Gavin, Reiko, Tatsuo and Nika were all shuffled off the stage and into a press conference.

"Gavin-kun, how does it feel to win, not only your rookie championship, but the one you won alongside your wife?" A journalist asked over the shouting crowd of other journalists.

"It feels pretty surreal right now, but if it's all still real in the morning I'll let you know," the buzz cut blonde replied causing laughter to fill the room for a short time.

"Nika-san, what happened with the red and white GT-R that was acting as a shield for you?" another person asked.

"I have absolutely no idea, but it was a pretty welcome surprise," the brown haired woman replied with a smile.

"So Kanzaki-san, you're second place again, and third in the championship standings this season. How does your team feel about that?"

"I don't think we're going to give up on getting a third championship, but for this season I think we lost it to the more talented team," the brown haired man replied calmly despite his team's press officer going nuts in the back of the room.

"So will this loss of the championship affect your friendship with the Reynolds in any way? Or the offer you made Gavin-kun to take your seat that we've all heard about this weekend?"

"I hope it won't affect our friendship, especially considering I wouldn't have wanted to lose to anyone else," Takeshi replied with a chuckle, "And the offer will be unaffected by these events, if anything it solidifies my choice with the higher ups of the team."

After about twenty minutes of nonstop questions the drivers of all the teams were allowed to leave the press conference and went through the huge crowd of people who wanted their autographs and pictures with them. Gavin and Tatsuo, much to the displeasure of their wives, got a few kisses from several female fans.

By the time Gavin and Reiko were able to make it back to their paddock they barely had any time to change before Takeshi and Kumiko showed up in the motor home for their usual after race dinner. This time all they could talk about was the race and how impressed Gavin had been with Takeshi's plan to help Reiko out.

When they got back to the paddock Takeshi congratulated Gavin and Reiko on winning the championship before leaving the Takahashi Racing Team's paddock for the last time ever. The drivers of the team sat in the silence of the motor home just enjoying the quiet after such a hectic evening. Reiko and Gavin were the first to make their way to bed before Nika and Tatsuo followed, all of them ignoring the fact that none of them had seen their families since before race day.

The next day they arrived back at the school early in the morning, the shock having finally worn off for most of the team somewhere around three in the morning when they were getting ready to leave so they could get everything unpacked and back in their proper places. Gavin and Reiko were shocked to see Reiko and Tatsuo's parents, brother and sister in-law standing by the door with every member of the Gunma mountain teams, the Emperors team from Irohazaka, and Gavin's parents along with Jessica Samford and her family. Nika wasn't surprised to see her father standing in the small group but she was a little shocked to see her step-mother wasn't there after showing up at the race. Mikio's parents were deep in conversation with Raiden while Kitamura was talking among the teams as though he were a member of all of them.

The small party that started on the school's front steps didn't last long when Ryosuke had the car haulers back up to the school's main entrance and ordered Gavin into the Super GT NSX.

"What's going on?" Jessica asked as the hauler opened up and Gavin climbed into the NSX.

"No idea," Reiko answered as they all moved out of the way.

Keisuke and Takumi removed the pillar from the double doors at the school's entrance way and Tatsuo figured out what was going on. It took the ramp stopping at the top of the short flight of stairs that led to the entrance for it to hit the rest of the team that the Super GT cars were going to be the display for the main entrance to the school. Gavin slowly backed the car off the ramp with Keisuke guiding him from behind and Takumi up front. The FD followed with Tatsuo at the wheel and once both cars were where Ryosuke wanted them he placed each trophy for the championship on the appropriate hood.

"You've earned the right to come back here and teach, but I hope you don't for at least two seasons because there is too much talent to waste among all of you," the brown haired doctor said with a calm, low nod to his team.

"Ryosuke, I have an announcement to make," Kyoko said before everyone could get too emotional, "You're going to be an uncle."

"WHAT!?" Keisuke's voice echoed through the huge lobby making everyone jump back in shock before the news sunk in.

"Kyoko-san, you're pregnant?" Reiko asked seeing as no one else could find their words.

The dirty blonde haired woman nodded excitedly and that seemed to snap Natsuki, Izumi and Reiko the rest of the way out of their shock as they ran and hugged the woman. Keisuke still stood rather dumbfounded with his jaw hanging open a little, causing Takumi to chuckle and push his fellow teacher's jaw closed.

"Kyoko, really? You're not joking or anything?" the spiky blonde haired man asked sounding like the shock hadn't worn off.

"Yes Keisuke, you're going to be a father by next summer," Kyoko replied excitedly just before being swept off her feet in a hug from her husband.

Keisuke stayed on his high until the real party started to celebrate the championship. Ryosuke and David had arranged everything the night before, there was champagne from the race officials that was getting opened, but before things got too far out of hand Tatsuo tapped his glass a couple times to get everyone's attention.

"I know that it's not customary for a driver to toast after a win, but I don't care," the black haired man said with a chuckle, "To the team of mechanics and the pit crew, we wouldn't have this championship if not for them."

"And to the men behind the whole thing, Ryosuke Takahashi and David Crandon," Gavin added with a serious tone.

"I have something that requires me and Nika to go outside for a bit, if you'd like you can follow," Tatsuo said once everyone had taken their drink at the toasts.

Nika followed her husband as he led her to the guardrail of the school's private circuit, everyone else followed behind them and Gavin went and opened the gate that allowed outside cars onto the circuit. The sound of an engine firing brought everyone's attention to the maintenance bay where Tatsuo was pulling the arctic white 1972 S30Z out of the track. Nika felt her eyes begin to water as the car came closer to the group at a slow crawl. Tatsuo gave the engine a few revs, letting the S20 engine sing its own melody before he shut it down and climbed out of the driver's seat.

"Nika, she's all yours," the black haired man said holding the keys out to his wife.

"And no you can't take it to the mountains like your Z33," Gavin added with a joking tone, earning himself a playful backhand to his chest from Reiko.

Nika stood silent for a minute or two simply staring at the keys dangling from her husband's hand before she leapt into his chest and hugged him so tight he actually started to turn blue. She walked around the car a few times after releasing Tatsuo from the bear hug and took in every detail.

"I want to know everything there is to know about this car," the brown haired woman finally said with a wide smile as she stood by the car's driver's door.

"We can get to that later, for now we should go back inside and finish this party," Gavin said with a chuckle when everyone agreed with him making Nika pout.

It was nearly dinnertime before anyone thought about leaving. Steven and Helen Reynolds and Jessica Samford's family were the first to actually leave since they had an early flight and none of them were anywhere near packed. Eventually no one but the Takahashi Racing Team itself was left at the school; none of them seemed willing to leave so early in the day.

"I think I'm taking Takeshi-san's offer to take his seat next season," Gavin said as he sat on the NSX next to the trophy, "It's the best offer I've gotten and Reiko's not particularly interested in any of hers."

"You're sure about this then?" Kyoko asked as she stared dead at Reiko.

"As sure as we can be, Gavin did try to talk me into that 300 seat I was offered but I don't think it's a good fit for me so I'll just take on the tester spot behind Gavin," Reiko replied with a smile when Gavin's eyes shot over to hers.

"What about you Tatsuo-san? Have you and Nika-san figured out what you'll be doing next season?" Izumi asked hoping to hear they'd taken at least one offer of the many they had.

"We're meeting with a team manager that's willing to put us in a car together in GT300 again, but I'm not sure if we're going to take it yet or not," Tatsuo replied getting a nod of agreement from Nika, "If we do take it, it's probably going to take a while to get used to driving something that's not a rotary."

"And Nika here just got used to the FD," Gavin teased earning him a one finger salute from Nika.

"Well at least you've gotten offers for next season, you've earned every one of them, but for now enjoy the time off," Keisuke said with a chuckle as he hugged his wife, still really excited about being a father.

It was close to nine o'clock at night when the rest of the team decided it was time to go home. Gavin and Reiko climbed into his FD, Nika and Tatsuo got into the two Zs that would go home with them that night while Mikio and Izumi got into his Lan-Evo VI. Ryosuke and Yuki Nakahara stood on the top step and watched as all four cars tore out of the parking lot the same way they had the first day of classes nearly three years before.


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Nika and Tatsuo took the offer that came at the season's end. Their team provided a small apartment similar to the one Nika lived in before they met, but they kept the house so they'd have a place to live and store the cars they didn't use. They dominated the GT300 season that followed their debut with the Takahashi Racing Team, where their biggest competition was Mikio and his teammate, and they retired shortly after the season ended when right around Christmas Nika found out she was pregnant and they returned to take up their offered roles as teachers at the school that had once been their training grounds.

Mikio took second place in the GT300 championship behind Nika and Tatsuo, but the year after he took the title for himself, Izumi began working alongside Fumihiro and Natsuki at the Takahashi Racing School ever since she finished her bachelor's degree in business management. They had a daughter named Mayumi shortly after Mikio's second place in the GT300 championship.

Gavin and Reiko were able to keep their house in Maebashi, but ended up having to move closer to Fuji since they both started working for Takeshi Kanzaki's old team and therefore needed to work towards the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Gavin had almost no real competition during his first season with the team, taking the championship after 5 straight victories. The twenty-four hour race ended with Reiko crossing the finish line first that season as well. Reiko announced her pregnancy about a month after that and was seriously tempted to stop racing all together. Gavin managed to talk her into taking a second twenty-four hour race after their son Kaito was born, and they won that one too.

A few days after the Super GT season's end three years after the Takahashi Racing Team dominated the championship, a tall blonde haired man and a curly black haired woman stepped into the main lobby of the Takahashi Racing School. The blonde walked over to the red and gold NSX and the trophy that remained on its hood for the Super GT championship for the GT500 category and laid his hand on the hood while the woman simply looked around the photos on the wall that included one featuring the two cars sitting in the lobby.

A young girl about three years old with long brown hair and brown eyes drew their attention as she ran into the main lobby area and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the two strangers.

"Hello young lady, can you tell us where to find Natsuki Fujiwara?" the black haired woman asked kneeling down to look the girl in the eye.

"You know Mommy?" the young girl asked, noticing that both the man and woman's faces seemed to light up.

"We not only know her, we know an awful lot about you too Takara-chan," the blonde replied with a soft tone, quietly chuckling at the girl's surprised face.

"She's this way," Takara replied cautiously as she tried to figure out who these people might be to know her name.

The second Takara led them into her mother's office Natsuki immediately jumped up and hugged the two adults as if they were family, confusing the poor child even more.

"Mommy, who are they?" the brown haired girl asked still not quite able to take her eyes off the tall blonde.

"This is Gavin and Reiko Reynolds, they used to work for your father, that gold and red car out in the lobby is the car they drove," Natsuki answered with a motherly smile before turning her attention back to Gavin and Reiko, "What are you two doing here? It's been almost three years since we've seen you."

"We were a little busy Natsuki-san, you know the life of a racing driver," Gavin answered with a chuckle, "With my press appointments and Reiko's being a stay at home mom now," he added with a bigger laugh.

"Don't worry Natsuki-san, Kaito is with both sets of his grandparents over in Maebashi," Reiko added with a quiet laugh when Natsuki's eyes started searching the room and then looked a little panicked.

"How have things been since we drove out of here last?" the buzz cut blonde asked taking a seat in front of Natsuki's desk.

"Oh pretty good, the classes after yours are pretty quick, no one has beaten Gavin's last lap record in the Super GT cars, but we've had a couple of scouts come by for one or two of them. The open wheel guys are having fun with their first classes though; by my understanding one of them almost wrecked one of our GP2 cars yesterday," the brown haired woman said with a shrug as Takara played around just in the corner of her vision, "Keisuke and Kyoko's son Suko is probably out at the track with his father if I know him at all."

"You said open wheeler guys; does that mean you've gotten more cars for F1?" Gavin asked sounding just a little excited by the idea.

"No not for F1, we added on classes for F3 so we've got two cars for that and a small fleet of karts for the kids that just want to come by and have fun," Natsuki replied with a smile at Gavin's 'kid in a candy store' face, "The only cars I will let you go near are the new GT-R and the Mazda RX-8 we picked up for the road legal collection," she added with a half joking, half warning tone.

They had a few laughs and talked about a lot of stuff that had nothing to do with the school before Natsuki took them out to the circuit to see everyone. They got out there and several of the students of the class wanted autographs and such which caused Nobuhiko to call off his lecture and the two cars from the track. When they finally got through that they greeted their former managers and strategist.

"Where are Tatsuo and Nika?" Reiko asked looking around for her brother and sister in-law.

"Tatsuo is in the mechanics bay, Nika stayed home to tend to Tamiko, she hasn't been feeling well the last couple days," Keisuke answered with a sympathetic tone, "Suko is with him if you'd like to meet your defacto nephew."

"What's that mean?" Gavin asked with a confused tone earning a chuckle from everyone but his wife who looked just as confused as he did.

"Suko may only be a year and a half old, but the only person he likes outside of me and his mother, is Tatsuo," the spiky blonde haired man said with a wide smile, "I'm guessing you didn't bring Kaito considering the car you drove up in, where is he?" he asked as he nodded to the Jaguar XK8 in the lot.

"Spending time with both sets of his grandparents," Gavin said with a chuckle of his own, "Can't get him away from them for anything but food, borrowed the father in-law's car for a little bit since we've got a dinner date tonight."

"He's about a year and a half himself right?" Nobuhiko asked having not met the kid yet.

"Almost two if the calendar is right in my head," Keisuke replied instead, "Tatsuo was very happy about everything for about a week, wouldn't stop showing off pictures of his nephew and daughter off for a solid month."

"I heard rumors the Super GT champions were here, I guess I can believe it now," said a tall black haired woman wearing a white doctor's coat over her slacks and sweater.

"Dr. Nakahara, it's nice to see you here," Reiko said getting a quick hug when they reached each other.

"I've not been Yuki Nakahara for almost two years now," the woman replied showing the solid gold band on her left ring finger, "It's Yuki Takahashi now."

Reiko's jaw nearly hit the pavement in shock before a barrage of questions about the wedding and why she and Gavin hadn't been told started pouring out. Yuki calmly answered her questions and told them about her wish to be assigned to the school as the permanent physician in the small medical room the school had. Tatsuo came out and greeted his sister and brother in law and started talking about things. When Ryosuke arrived at the school most of them stopped talking long enough to see if he had some kind of order out of sheer habit before letting him join the conversation.

"So what brings you here today?" Ryosuke asked once he'd been filled in on everything else.

"Came by to see about a job; my contract is up but even with the offer to re-sign I'm not willing to risk missing Kaito's life," Gavin replied with a serious tone.

"Alright, you're hired," the brown haired doctor said with a small smirk on his lips, "On one condition that is."

"And that is?" Reiko asked tentatively.

"You teach a few of our newest students how to drive properly; I've fixed the road legal cars more this year than any other," Ryosuke replied with a chuckle.

"It shall be done; we'll have to start next week though since we've got to move back up from Fuji," Gavin replied with a chuckle of his own before he and his wife left the school and headed off to meet Takeshi and Kumiko for dinner.

They paid a visit to several of the mountain team leaders that weekend while they were in town. Shou Enomoto had gotten himself married to a girl he'd known since they started school together and was extremely happy to announce to the whole world he was soon to be a father. Takako and Makato got married about a year after the Takahashi Racing Team took on the scene and had a six month old daughter of their own. The Usui Sparks and Akagi Blue Fire teams had faded off the map; there was already a new team on Akagi but Shou didn't know the name.

It wasn't until the first Fuji race of the next season that things got crazy again. Mikio was the last member of the Takahashi Racing Team still in the series. Gavin and Reiko were watching with Nika, Tatsuo and the kids when there was a pretty bad accident on the field. A GT500 car appeared to simply drive straight into Mikio's GT300 car; the impact was strong enough to roll Mikio's black Toyota Supra and launch the SC430 over the rolling car.

None of the adults relaxed until they saw Mikio waving from the stretcher they placed him on. Gavin made quick work of getting everything ready for them to leave and they all drove to Fuji to pay a visit to an old friend. When they got to the hospital Mikio was sent to, the bleach blonde was asleep and had on a couple of plaster casts.

"Hey Izumi, what's it look like?" Gavin asked after everyone had a chance to hug her and their daughter.

"He's going to make a full recovery, but he's got a broken collar bone and four clean fractures in his forearm and calf," the auburn haired woman replied with a half hearted smile, "They brought him in conscious but a little delusional, he asked someone if he won the race."

"He didn't, but he won a heck of a fight with that SC430," Tatsuo said with a quiet chuckle.

"And I'm retiring because of it," Mikio's voice said with a slight groan, "Not that I'll finish the season anyway."

"With what your injuries are Mikio, you could go back to it if you wanted," Reiko said while Izumi gave her husband a drink of water.

"If I get an offer to go back I'll think about it, otherwise I'm okay with leaving it behind," the bleach blonde said with a rough chuckle, "So what did I miss?"

"Not a thing, you've only been out a couple of hours," Izumi replied from his bedside.

Kaito, Mayumi and Tamiko all seemed rather preoccupied with their own dealings to ask a lot of questions about Mikio's crash. Having met each other at least once seemed to help keep the girls occupied but Kaito seemed a little lost among the girly stuff they were talking about so he climbed his way onto the bed and poked at the cast on Mikio's leg.

"Taniguchi-san, do you want to teach where Mommy and Daddy do?" the young black haired boy with deep blue eyes asked still poking the cast.

Mikio looked at Izumi and then to his daughter before looking over his ex-teammates, looking as though he wanted help answering the question.

"Kaito-kun, I think I will do just that," he finally said with a chuckle right before the doctor came in to check him over.

When the doctor left the driver of the SC430 came in, he had a broken left arm and a bandage around his right but hospital rules had him in a wheel chair, and greeted everyone before he just sat quietly for a moment seeming to gather his thoughts.

"Taniguchi-san I'd like to apologize for the accident, I'm not entirely sure what happened but when I figured out something was really wrong it was too late," the young man said with a somber tone.

"I heard on the radio it was a mechanical failure of some kind, nothing you could have done," Gavin said trying to be diplomatic.

"The car felt wrong the whole weekend, I should have said something before but for some stupid reason I kept my mouth shut thinking it was me cause my partner didn't say anything either," the SC430 driver replied with a cold tone, "And I was the one driving so I'm taking my lumps as they come."

"If you're looking for anger from me, you won't find any, there's nothing to be forgiven," Mikio said from his place on the bed, "Besides, if it was a mechanical failure it wasn't your fault it happened."

The younger man looked so stunned that he seemed to freeze in one place hoping that if he stayed still enough he wouldn't wake up from whatever dream he was in. When it finally sank in that he wasn't in trouble with the older driver he wheeled out of the room muttering about trying to get his team to take it the same way.

"He's a GT500 rookie this season, he'll learn," Mikio said making everyone chuckle.

"He any good?" Gavin asked curiously.

"He's fast, but as you can see he has issues voicing his opinion about certain things so he's not as fast as he could be," the blonde replied with a shrug.

"So he's not like Tatsuo here? Adapt to the car and go fast as hell while doing it," the buzz cut blonde asked with a chuckle.

"No he seems a bit more like me actually," Izumi said making everyone turn to her; even her own daughter was staring like her mother had grown two heads, "Reserved and staying out of things he doesn't really understand," she added with a slight glare at the group.

"Ahh, I thought you were going to say a quick learner but afraid of the speed," Gavin said with a small chuckle earning him a not so playful backhand to the chest from Reiko, "Hey, no insult meant, just stating fact," he added with a laugh.

The three families talked for a while before a doctor informed them that visiting hours were over. Gavin left only after telling them to call if they needed anything. Six weeks and about a week of rehab later Mikio came into the school on crutches with little Mayumi and Izumi right behind him making sure he didn't fall coming up the steps, which was extremely cute considering all Mayumi was doing was holding her arms up in the air just reaching her father's back.

Mikio became a theory and mechanics teacher until his rehab was completed. He had no offers to rejoin the Super GT series which was okay by him. The blonde started out driving the street legal cars on the circuit about halfway through the rehab so by the time he was done he'd be able to get back behind the wheel of at least the GT500 NSX, since it still wasn't recommended that he drive without power steering for a little while.

The team had been back together for two months as teachers and decided to go to Akina Lake after school to have a little time to themselves before going home to the kids and the babysitters to be paid.

"You know I think we've done this before," Gavin said with a chuckle as some of Tatsuo's music played through the speakers in his RX-8.

"So what's happened with all the cars we used to have? I know my Lan-Evo's gone and Reiko's SE, but what about your Z33 Nika?" Mikio asked just trying to spark conversation.

"Well we had to get rid of it because of Tamiko, it had the better trade in value since it wasn't heavily modified engine wise," Nika replied with a soft smile, "But the S30Z is still parked in the garage, driven almost every day when I have errands to run."

"What about you Gavin? Any changes to the FD that we can't see?" the bleach blonde asked with a smile.

"Not much to really change, but I've been thinking about doing a little tune up on Reiko's 20B Cosmo," the buzz cut blonde replied with a chuckle at his wife's bug eyed look.

"You won't touch that car in any such way as long as Kaito's car seat is in it," she half shouted at him.

"Does that mean when he outgrows the seat I can modify it?" her husband replied knowing the answer already, but he felt like teasing.

"NO!" came from everyone but himself taking him a little by surprise.

"Okay, no modifying the family mover," he said shrinking back a little.

"You can tune his first car to his content, how about that as a little compromise?" Nika asked earning herself a glare from her sister in-law.

"Easy Nika, she knows I was teasing, I may have a death wish but it's not by her hands locked on my neck," Gavin said with a more serious tone, "Besides, we'll have a third car soon, Reiko's lead foot is getting twitchy."

"Why doesn't she drive your FD like she used to?" Tatsuo asked more directed at Reiko than Gavin.

"Because I'm still a little afraid of the thing, I've never actually driven it in the mountains except at speed limit," Reiko replied sounding a little nervous.

"No time like the present to try it out," Mikio teased as he made a move towards her.

Gavin picked up on the joke almost immediately as he usually did and opened the driver's door of the FD just as Mikio and Tatsuo picked Reiko up to Izumi and Nika's wild laughter. They deposited her in the seat and Gavin closed the door and jumped into the passenger seat before his wife could move out of the driver's seat.

"And the ring of troublemakers rises from the ashes," Reiko muttered as she started the FD, "You know I'm not going to try anything in your car right?"

"That will be up to Mikio and Tatsuo now won't it?" Gavin asked leaning as far back as the bucket seat would allow.

Reiko didn't lie; they made it to the bottom of the mountain without being able to force her above the posted speed limit.

"So, does anyone regret leaving the professional world?" Izumi asked once everyone was out of the cars at the base.

A few quick glances between Gavin, Tatsuo and Mikio made it possible to see how easily these men got along now that they were back together, because they were back to reading each other's thoughts to a point.

"Not one bit," Gavin said getting confirming nods from the rest.

FIN!


End file.
